Bed shortage puts hospital on red alert

Tuesday 20 December 2016

Jersey's hospital is on "red alert" as there are currently fewer that five free beds.

Officials are warning that a combination of seasonal illnesses such as flu, as well as the norovirus, has meant that some non-essential surgery has been cancelled in a bid to free up some space.

They are asking anyone suffering from those conditions to stay away from the Emergency Department, and to consult their GP initially instead:

"The General Hospital remains under significant pressure with winter-related illnesses, including flu and norovirus. As a result of the limited number of available beds, the Hospital’s alert status was upgraded to red earlier this afternoon (Monday), when five elective surgical procedures scheduled for this afternoon had to be cancelled. There are also increased levels of sickness among Hospital staff.

"The situation is subject to ongoing review, including the level of alert and whether it will be necessary to cancel any future elective procedures.

"Islanders are reminded to contact their local pharmacist or their GP if they require advice about cold, flu or norovirus type symptoms. Attendance at the Emergency Department should be restricted to genuine emergencies."