Treating flu patients costing York Hospital £7.5k a day (From York Press)

Treating flu patients costing York Hospital £7.5k a day

8:56am Tuesday 11th January 2011 in Swine flu By Mike Laycock, Chief reporter

Andrew Lansley: Health Secretary was quizzed on cost of flu in York

THE cost of treating flu patients at York Hospital has been raised in the Commons by York Central MP Hugh Bayley.

He told Health Secretary Andrew Lansley that the total bill for treating 30 confirmed and suspected patients last week came to about £7,500 a day, or about £50,000 a week.

He claimed the money could have been spent instead on patients with unavoidable illnesses if the Government had spent money last autumn on a campaign to encourage people to be vaccinated.

Mr Bayley said the Minister denied the flu vaccination campaign had started too late and had no regrets about the way the matter was handled.

The MP’s comments came as hospital chiefs confirmed that a “flu ward,” dedicated to deal with growing numbers of sick patients, has now opened.

Officials said last week it was treating 15 confirmed and another 15 suspected flu cases, and the 19-bed ward was being created in the former ward 27 – used in recent times as an area to prepare patients for elective surgery – to cater for a majority of such patients.

The move was intended to alleviate pressures and ensure there was enough in-patient bed capacity and staff to care for patients safely and effectively.

A spokeswoman said yesterday that the number of flu patients fluctuated from day to day, and she could not give any more details on current levels until the figures were reviewed later in the week.