18 March 2020
Yesterday, Sir Simon Stevens, the Chief Executive of the NHS, wrote to NHS Trusts advising them for the need to postpone all non-urgent elective operations for a period of at least three months. Below is a statement from our Medical Director, Dr Arne Rose:
“As the Chief Medical Officer has stated, 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, with some other procedures likely to be rescheduled before then 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 will be contacting everyone affected as soon as possible.”