Isle of Wight NHS Trust has declared a Critical Incident today (Tuesday 11 October) as it takes steps to protect patient safety.
The Trust is responding to a high number of people needing urgent and emergency care and challenges discharging people from hospital.
St Mary’s Hospital is full and the Emergency Department is only able to treat people with life threatening conditions and injuries.
In order to maintain the safety of services, some planned surgical activity has been postponed, but we will continue to prioritise cancer treatment and urgent operations, as well as people who have already had long waits for their treatment. Some outpatient appointments may also be affected.
Steve Parker, Medical Director, said: “The situation is serious but we are taking urgent steps to ensure the safety of our services.
“We must improve the flow of patients through the hospital and we are appealing to our local community to help by making sure loved ones are collected from hospital when they are ready to leave. This will to free up beds for those who need them.
“Only come to the Emergency Department (ED) for life threatening conditions and injuries. We urge you not to attend the ED unless it’s an emergency: NHS 111 online can help you find where to get help and support.
“Please have a COVID vaccination if you are offered one. Vaccination will protect not only yourself but others around you. We are seeing a rise in COVID cases on the Island and the number of people in our hospital with COVID is increasing rapidly to levels beyond what we saw during the pandemic.
We are asking members of the public to help by:
- Collecting family and friends from hospital as soon as they are ready to be discharged, to free up beds for those who need them.
- Visit NHS 111 online or call NHS 111 for heath advice, or alternatively contact your local pharmacist or GP.
- Think about the most appropriate NHS service for your needs and to only call 999 in the event of a life-threatening illness or injury.
- Stay away from hospital if you have symptoms, or are a contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.
