Surgeries postponed as hospital hits full capacity

Wednesday 06 March 2024

19 elective surgeries have been postponed as the Princess Elizabeth Hospital reaches full capacity.

All emergency and cancer surgeries have been prioritised and continue to go ahead.

There are 113 beds at the PEH and the hospital has been running at capacity for two weeks.

In a statement the States of Guernsey said: "Additional temporary beds, called flex beds, have been utilised but cannot be used for longer than a short-term fix, which is why the difficult decision has been taken to postpone some elective surgery."

The Committee for Health and Social Care said it is "always disappointing when elective surgery has to be postponed" and it has apologised for the impact on the community.

"There is no single factor impacting on acute care and it is a seasonal issue with demand outstripping available capacity. Teams have worked tirelessly to minimise the numbers of postponed elective surgery."

De Havilland Ward, which usually accomodates orthopaedic patients is now being used for other surgical patients.

More updates are expected...