Colchester Hospital battling against extreme weather conditions (From Gazette)

Colchester Hospital battling against extreme weather conditions

11:00pm Friday 8th January 2010 in

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Health bosses say they are battling against the weather to provide the best possible service.

On Wednesday – the first day of the snow – 408 outpatients contacted Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Colchester General Hospital, to cancel or postpone their outpatient appointments.

It is not clear yet what the figure was for yesterday.

Mark Prentice, spokesman for the trust, said three non-urgent Ear, Nose and Throat operations were postponed yesterday due to “winter pressures”.

But he said they were the first to be postponed for this reason this winter.

He said: “Obviously, this is something we have done as a last resort. We would apologise to the patients concerned, and will be offering them a new date shortly.”

Breast cancer screening at the mobile unit outside the Fryatt Hospital, in Dovercourt, was once again cancelled due to the snow.

For the second day in a row, women with appointments were advised not to attend and were reassured new dates would be sent out to them shortly.

Two outpatient clinics had to be cancelled at the Fryatt Hospital, Dovercourt, after doctors decided it would be unfair to expect patients to turn up in the wintry conditions.

Another clinic in Clacton was also cancelled because the doctor, who lives in a rural location, was unable to get there. All three will be rescheduled.

* One ward and a number of bays on two others remain closed due to a winter vomiting virus.

D’Arcy Ward is still closed to new admissions having been shut on Wednesday, while three bays on Layer Marney Ward and two more on Nayland ward are also closed to new admissions.

Mr Prentice said there is a possibility one bay in Layer Marney Ward would open late yesterday afternoon.

* Health chiefs say the number of people visiting accident and emergency facilities in Colchester are remarkably low.

On Wednesday, 14 people visited with injuries caused by falling on the snow, and another 13 from midnight to 4pm yesterday.

A spokesman said the figures were well below those recorded from December 18-24.