Hospital suspends non-urgent operations

Wye Valley NHS Trust is suspending non-urgent elective operations and changes introduced to outpatient appointments.

As the Chief Medical Officer has said, NHS services are likely to come under intense pressure as the coronavirus spreads, and we need to ensure that we have as many beds available as possible to care for patients with severe respiratory problems when the number of infections peaks.

Therefore, in line with well-established plans for situations like this, every hospital in England has now been asked to suspend all non-urgent elective operations for at least three months from April. WVT has taken the decision to start this work with immediate effect, in line with national guidance, so we can train our staff and adapt certain areas.

Urgent and emergency cases and cancer treatments will be carrying on as normal, but we know many people waiting for treatment will be disappointed or worried, and we are contacting everyone affected.

Many outpatient appointments will now take place as telephone appointments/video calls, to lessen the chance of spread of coronavirus to patients and other areas of the hospital.

For patients attending appointments at the hospital, we recommend that you attend on your own. If this is not possible, the Trust is restricting patients to bring only one friend or relative. Children under the age of 16 are not allowed, unless the patient is a child. There may be situations in the clinic setting where your relative/friend is asked to wait outside the clinic room whilst your consultation takes place.

The Trust is contacting patients directly regarding these changes, so there is no need to call the hospital – we will contact you if your appointment or operation has been changed/suspended.