NHS coronavirus battle plan: Hospitals told to cancel non-emergency operations for three months and pay for staff to stay in hotels if a family member has tell-tale symptoms
NHS hospitals have been told to cancel operations for three months in a bid to free up 30,000 beds to prepare for a surge in coronavirus patients.
In a call to arms letter sent to hospital bosses today, NHS England said trusts should cancel all non-urgent surgeries starting from April 15 for at least 12 weeks.
NHS staff who have a family member show symptoms of, or test positive for, COVID-19 will also be offered the chance to stay in a hotel for free so they can keep working.
The letter, which laid out the health service’s coronavirus battle plan, also called for all inpatients who are medically fit to be discharged immediately.
It stated that staff must take part in special training for dealing with a high number of patients on ventilators within a fortnight and begin work setting up makeshift intensive care wards.
The call to arms comes after the UK suffered 407 more coronavirus infections and another death.
It means there are now officially 1,950 people with the disease and 56 have succumbed to it.
NHS hospitals have been told to cancel operations for three months in a bid to free up 30,000 beds to prepare for a surge in coronavirus patients
Any cancer operations and patients needing emergency treatment will not be affected by the new measures.
The letter from NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens said: ‘The operational aim is to expand critical care capacity to the maximum; free up 30,000 (or more) of the English NHS’s 100,000 general and acute beds.
‘Assume that you will need to postpone all non-urgent elective operations from 15 April at the latest, for a period of at least three months.
‘However you also have full local discretion to wind down elective activity over the next 30 days as you see best, so as to free up staff for refresher training, beds for Covid-19 patients, and theatres/recovery facilities for adaptation work.’
In the meantime hospitals were told to do as much elective surgery, such as hip operations and knee replacements, as possible so by mid-April there are thousands more free beds.
Sir Simon warned frontline staff that dealing with the outbreak was going to be ‘a very difficult time’.
He said those required to self-isolate because a family member has symptoms or has tested positive will be offered to stay in a hotel.
The letter adds: ‘For those staff affected by PHE’s 14 day household isolation policy, staff should – on an entirely voluntary basis – be offered the alternative option of staying in NHS-reimbursed hotel accommodation while they continue to work.’
Pregnant, elderly and staff with underlying conditions will either be moved to lower risk hospitals in areas with few cases, according to the document.
Clinicians who fall under this category will be able to do online or video consultations from home.
Sir Simon added that patients who did not need to be in hospital should be discharged as quickly as possible adding: ‘Community health providers must take immediate full responsibility for urgent discharge of all eligible patients identified by acute providers on a discharge list.
‘For those needing social care, emergency legislation before Parliament this week will ensure that eligibility assessments do not delay discharge.
‘This could potentially free up to 15,000 acute beds currently occupied by patients awaiting discharge or with lengths of stay over 21 days.’
The letter confirmed that recently retired staff would be asked to return to the health service during the crisis and that medical students would be fast tracked into the NHS.