Bad weather forces York Hospital to cancel operations (From York Press)

Bad weather forces York Hospital to cancel operations

8:22am Wednesday 6th January 2010 in News

OPERATIONS have had to be put on hold at York Hospital after the snow left some of its staff unable to battle their way into work.

Bosses at the Wigginton Road site said the icy weather which has descended on the region has increased the strain on its staff, with more people forced to attend its accident and emergency department after falling victim to the conditions.

As a result, some patients were told their surgery and other planned procedures would have to be postponed yesterday morning after the driving snow left a portion of the hospital’s workforce with an impossible work journey, although the situation began to gradually improve during the day.

York Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has confirmed about nine operations were called off yesterday, with its deputy chief executive, Mike Proctor, saying: “We have experienced an exceptionally busy Christmas and New Year period, with normal winter pressures which have been exacerbated by the weather.

“There has been an increase in patients attending the emergency department with slips and trips, plus the winter weather also means we are more likely to be admitting elderly patients.

“The weather has been particularly severe, and we have had some staff who have been unable to get to work. In order to best manage this, we have temporarily diverted staff away from our day surgery unit to other areas. “As a result, we have had to postpone a small number of procedures. However, the pressure is beginning to ease and we are making every effort to reorganise these patients’ procedures as soon as we can."

The trust says any patients whose procedures have had to be rearranged, or which need to be rescheduled as the chronic weather continues to affect the region, will be informed.

Health chiefs have appealed for people to take extra care when walking or driving amid the snow and ice.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service also cancelled journeys for patients due to attend routine appointments at hospital clinics. A spokesman said the Patient Transport Service would also only be operating for patients with urgent medical needs, including renal and oncology treatments, today.