BRADFORD Teaching Hospitals has extended the suspension of some non-urgent surgery and outpatient appointments for a further month from today (November 4), following a rise in the number of seriously unwell COVID-19 patients.
Over the last few days, Bradford Royal Infirmary (BRI) has seen admissions rise to around 150 COVID patients, with up to 30 requiring oxygen support via non-invasive ventilation (CPAP).
The hospital has also seen an increased number of patients in intensive care on mechanical ventilation.
Professor Mel Pickup, Chief Executive of Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The Trust decided to pause some non-urgent surgery and outpatients’ appointments for two weeks from 20 October following a rise in the number of seriously unwell COVID-19 patients. Having now reviewed the position, we have extended the pause for a further month. We will keep the situation under review.
“It’s not a decision we have taken lightly, but we must create as much bed capacity and free up clinical staff within our hospitals to help us manage this surge in COVID-19 patients.
“Patients with life-threatening, emergency illnesses should still attend our A&E department and we will continue to care for those people who are receiving treatment for cancer and many other conditions. Maternity services will continue to operate as normal. Our clinicians are urgently reviewing their patient lists to ensure we still treat those people in greatest clinical need.
“We are also continuing to work with neighbouring private hospitals like the Yorkshire Clinic to enable us to keep providing surgery and clinical investigations to those patients with urgent needs.
Challenging
“The situation in our hospitals is very challenging, but with great support from our partners across the Bradford health and care system we are working hard to reduce admissions and support people to remain at home, or to be safely discharged from hospital as soon as it’s appropriate. And together we are doing all we can to encourage communities to follow local restrictions and think: hands, face, space.
“I appreciate fully that behind the numbers on a waiting list are real people, with busy lives to juggle, who have been self-isolating before coming into hospital, hoping to get their treatment over and done with as soon as possible.
“To those people, I want to say we’re very sorry for the inconvenience this may cause, but please understand that we have to take this action to keep our hospitals safe for everyone while we deal with the worst effects of this virus.”
Where possible, in order to maintain safety and access to care, patients who are to have non-urgent surgery cancelled will be contacted by telephone, and the Trust will deliver cancelled outpatient appointments via telephone or video call.
Prof. Pickup added: “I’d also like to take this opportunity to remind people to please follow Government guidelines on social distancing, hand washing and wearing face coverings.
“The simple message of ‘hands, face, space’ is essential if we are to keep coronavirus at bay. We must do all in our power to stop this surge in cases. Everyone has a part to play to keep themselves, friends, family and colleagues safe.”
Please check the Trust website for the latest visiting restrictions: https://www.bradfordhospitals.nhs.uk/
ENDS
For further media information, please contact communications@bthft.nhs.uk or call 01274 383901.
Note to Editors:
- Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust:
Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is responsible for providing hospital services for the people of Bradford and communities across Yorkshire. We serve a core population of around 500,000 and provide specialist services for 1.1 million people.
Our 5,500 staff work over several sites, including Bradford Royal Infirmary, which provides the majority of inpatient services, and St Luke’s Hospital, which predominantly provides outpatient and rehabilitation services. We also manage local community hospitals at Westwood Park, Westbourne Green, and Eccleshill.
In early 2017, a new £28 million wing opened at Bradford Royal Infirmary, part of a £75m investment to improve patient care across our hospitals over a five-year period. It provides world-class facilities for elderly care, children’s services, a state-of-the-art intensive care unit with increased single-room provision and a retail concourse.
The new wing is a continuation of our work to improve patient experience after our new £2 million neonatal unit officially opened in January 2015. Our maternity services were recently shortlisted for the Royal College of Midwives’ (RCM) Midwifery Service of the Year Award, recognising excellence and innovation in the provision of maternity care.
In 2017, we also completed a £2m refurbishment of our Emergency Department (ED) as part of an ambitious vision to create a more efficient acute medicine service for the people of Bradford. It has been designed to provide a slicker and more efficient service, with faster senior clinical involvement at an early stage in the patient pathway.
As a teaching hospital, we are at the forefront of education and development in healthcare, and have an excellent reputation for research performance. We are one of the leading centres in conducting applied research in the country, particularly in quality and safety, elderly care and rehabilitation.
The Trust is home to the Bradford Institute for Health Research (BIHR) where researchers have led the development, validation and implementation of the award-winning Bradford Electronic Frailty Index (eFI) which helps calculate an elderly person’s risk of disability, impairment, falls and complications of chronic diseases, as well as their diminishing independence and capability. This is now being used by 98% of all GPs across the country.
Our award-winning Ophthalmology department is home to numerous worldwide clinical trials taking the lead in eye care research and we are one of only three sites in the United Kingdom to be enlisted in the Perioperative Enhanced Recovery Hip Fracture Care of Patients with Dementia (PERFECTED) study, which will investigate how the NHS can introduce better standards of care to improve outcomes for people with dementia.
The Trust has its own Bradford Hospitals Charity: https://bradfordhospitalscharity.org/
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For more information please visit www.bradfordhospitals.nhs.uk