Operations axed due to winter pressures

More than 70 operations have been have been postponed at Sutton's King's Mill Hospital in January.
Kings Mill HospitalKings Mill Hospital
Kings Mill Hospital

Bosses at the hospital said they made the decision to cancel 75 operations to free up surgical and medical staff.

A spokesman for Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which operates the hospital, said: “We have had to postpone about 75 operations that were due to take place this January.”

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Operations planned for cancer patients and ones that do not need a bed overnight are still going ahead.

Simon Barton, newly appointed trust chief operating officer, said: “Although we have winter plans in place, we have made the decision to postpone planned operations for January, apart from operations for cancer patients and day case operations where patients don’t need a bed overnight.

“These decisions will help us to free up surgical and medical staff to be redeployed to other areas to help tackle the pressures.

Patients who have a planned operation in January will be contacted by the hospital by telephone or letter prior to their operation date.

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“Patients not contacted should assume their operation is still going ahead as planned.

“As with all parts of the NHS we are very busy this winter.

“We have also seen a number of patients admitted with complications of flu, which is a contributing factor to the increase in attendances and admissions.”

SFH is not the only NHS trust to postpone operations as the NHS struggles to cope with winter pressures.

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Extra transport has been made available at the hospital to support discharges.

Trust bosses have also urged the public to only attend King’s Mill’s accident and emergency department in emergencies, or with life-threatening conditions.