Dorset County Hospital 'busier than a bad winter'
The hospital faces a triple threat of pressures
Last updated 15th Jul 2021
Dorset County Hospital is currently 'busier than a bad winter season' according to bosses there.
A triple-threat of pressures means the hospital could be walking a very fine line over the next month.
Staff are currently dealing with a massive backlog of routine surgery delayed because of coronavirus. A large influx of tourists to the county this summer, coupled with the easing of restrictions could place a heavy demand on resources.
Alastair Hutchison is the Chief Medical Officer at Dorset County Hospital.
He said:
"It is as busy at the moment as it would be during a really bad winter, in terms of the number of patients turning up in ED and the number of patients requiring admission.
"We are also concerned about what the next few weeks will bring in terms of an influx of people wanting to come and share the beautiful countryside in Dorset.
"That can bring hundreds of thousands of additional people to the area and that's something that always produces a rise in patient admissions.
"So this year it's likely to be a bit worse."
Alastair expects the hospital will cope, but there will be intense pressure on the service which might impact their ability to carry out those routine surgeries.
It's hoped the vaccine campaign will minimise the risk of the hospital becoming overwhelmed by coronavirus patients. There have been no deaths at Dorset County related to coronavirus since the start of May.
Over the last three weeks the number of cases in hospitals has steadily risen across Dorset and BCP Council areas. As of yesterday there were 14 people in hospital with coronavirus across both areas.
There were five patients at Dorset County Hospital yesterday. Three of them required oxygen.
Alastair added:
"The vaccination campaign has been a massive success and a real example of what the NHS can do, but of course it's not without cost and it's not without diverting a lot of staff to do that.
"Undoubtedly, that is minimising the likelihood of somebody who gets COVID dying or even becoming significantly ill."
The hospital will also be asking all visitors and patients to wear masks after restrictions ease on July 19th to further prevent the spread of COVID-19.