Elective surgery restarted

Cambridge University Hospitals has restarted elective surgery, including cancer operations, as pressures on bed capacity eased slightly this morning.

Patients who had their operations cancelled yesterday will be rescheduled as soon as possible and will be contacted by our staff with a new date, so there is no need for them to telephone the Trust.

The hospital has downgraded from Opel Level 4 – the highest level - to Opel Level 3 but it is emphasised A&E and the main hospital is still very busy. 333 patients visited yesterday, 134 were admitted and 150 finished their treatment and were discharged.

Ambulances, which were diverted to other hospitals for two hours yesterday, are arriving at A&E as normal.

The hospital is still seeing patients with the symptoms of the winter vomiting bug, norovirus, and flu, prompting renewed requests for visitors not to come into the hospital if they have been suffering with similar symptoms. Patients are asked not to come into A&E in large groups to avoid the risk of overcrowding which makes the working environment more difficult for our clinicians.

Patients can help us at this time by only coming into A&E if it is an accident or emergency. Details of further medical support can be found on the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group website.