HIGH temperatures in two operating theatres at the hospital have forced the rescheduling of 34 operations this week.
The adjustments to non-urgent procedures were made due to “high temperatures” in two out of the seven available operating theatres at the Jersey General Hospital. Emergency and maternity care remain unaffected.
It comes after around 200 patients had their operations postponed last month when hospital air conditioning failed during the May heatwave.
Three of the seven theatres were temporarily closed due to issues with a chilled water unit on the roof of the hospital.
Medical director Simon West confirmed that the latest incident does not relate to the new chiller water unit, which was installed earlier this month to replace the one that failed in May.
“I’d like to thank our estates team, who have been working around the clock to try to resolve the issue,” he said.
“Once again, the high temperatures have highlighted the challenges of working in an older facility.”
Mr West added that affected patients have been contacted and confirmed that the process of rebooking postponed procedures is already underway.
“Each patient has been clinically reviewed and prioritised to ensure that those with the greatest need continue to receive care as quickly as possible.
“I’d like to reassure patients that while there may be a short-term impact on waiting times, rebooking is already underway and every effort is being made to minimise delays,” he said.
The temperature is expected to drop to around 27°C from today.
