Boston Pilgrim Hospital cancels children's operations

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Pilgrim hospital, BostonImage source, Google
Image caption,

The children affected will be booked in for operations at Lincoln County Hospital

Staff shortages have forced the cancellation of all non-urgent operations for children at a Lincolnshire hospital.

United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust (ULHT) said it had cancelled planned operations at Boston Pilgrim Hospital.

It said it had reduced the number of inpatient beds to free up nurses to work in its A&E department.

Children affected will be have their operations rescheduled at Lincoln County Hospital.

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A spokesman said: "There is a national shortage of appropriately trained children's nurses and doctors and ULHT is seriously affected by this.

"We don't always have enough staff to support A&E, and provide emergency and non-urgent care on the children's wards 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

"We have reduced the number of inpatient paediatric beds so we can free up children's nurses to support A&E staff to care for ill children who attend A&E.

"This means we can redeploy the staff shift by shift, to where they are most needed and deliver safe services."

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