Hospital bed shortage hits GP surgeries

A ‘red alert’ was triggered at the Hospital on Tuesday after an increase in admissions of patients with winter-related illnesses including flu and the highly contagious vomiting bug norovirus. People were advised not to go to the Hospital unless there was an emergency.

The red alert has now been downgraded to amber. A red alert – which resulted in the cancellation of routine operations on Wednesday – is defined as a sustained pressure on hospital beds, with fewer than five beds available within the adult wards. An amber alert covers a maximum of ten and minimum of five total available beds.

Between 9 December and 13 December, the Ambulance Service had a total of 203 call-outs from Islanders, in comparison to the same time last year, when paramedics were called out 150 times.

The Health Department confirmed that yesterday’s scheduled operations went ahead as normal.

Dr Nigel Minihane, chairman of Jersey’s Primary Care Body, said that GPs were ‘very busy’ as result of winter-related illnesses.

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