AN INDEPENDENT hospital has dedicated its site to the NHS and undertaken hundreds of operations which would otherwise have been cancelled.

About 500 people have had surgical procedures at Nuffield Health York hospital during the coronavirus crisis.

Nuffield bosses have dedicated their entire facility, staff and resources to help after teaming up with York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust to look after the most vulnerable patients.

All private procedures ceased on March 20, providing access to all three theatre suites for NHS patients who require urgent surgical procedures.

During the Covid-19 crisis, the surgical treatments have been across specialities, including gynaecology, urology, general surgery, breast surgery, plastics, pain management and, most recently, the insertion of Hickman lines which provide long-term intravenous access for patients undergoing chemotherapy treatments.

Nuffield Health has also provided its entire Outpatient Department to York’s NHS Oncology service. This has enabled Oncology patients to have a clean, protected environment where they can greatly reduce the risk of Covid-19 transmission while undergoing treatment.

The Nuffield’s main building has been turned into a temporary NHS facility, while the day surgery unit was given up to the York trust’s medical elective and urgent phlebotomy teams, providing a safer environment to patients.

These changes have provided additional capacity for around 6,000 NHS outpatient appointments during this period.

A spokesperson said the hospital has provided five days a week of capacity to MRI and CT scanning services for NHS patients.

The York trust has provided additional training for clinical teams at Nuffield Health in use of appropriate PPE, upskilling clinical staff and access to shared computer systems.

The two organisations have worked together to continue these essential services for York patients.

Andrew Blackburn, hospital director at York’s Nuffield, said: “We are pleased to offer our support to NHS patients and the teams at York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust at this challenging time.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has stretched our country, challenging us, and the effort, dedication and commitment of NHS staff is truly humbling. As the UK’s largest healthcare charity, we are in a unique position to care for NHS patients clinically, physically and mentally.

“The whole team has been fantastic, and I am very proud of what they have all done so far, and for what they will be doing over the coming weeks as we continue to support the local NHS services in some capacity for the foreseeable future”.

Nuffield Health has also made free content available to maintain people’s health and wellbeing at www.nuffieldhealth.com/at-home. This includes free workout videos, physiotherapy advice, and wellbeing activities for all members of the family, including children.