West Sussex hospital trust hits out at 'misleading' empty unit claims
It's reaffirmed services are under increasing pressure because of Covid-19
An NHS trust which runs three West Sussex hospitals has spoken out after images purporting to show empty corridors and beds were published online.
The images, which were shared on social media on Monday (January 4th), were captioned as being taken at St Richard's Hospital in Chichester.
The Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has said it was 'very disappointed' to see what it called 'misleading images and inaccurate comments' being shared online, claiming to suggest that the NHS is not under pressure during the coronavirus outbreak.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the trust running St Richard's, Worthing Hospital and Southlands Hospital in Shoreham said it was caring for more Covid-19 patients now than during the peak of the first wave last April.
It added that the insinuation that hospitals are empty is 'disrespectful' to staff, coronavirus patients and their families.
"We must stress, pictures of empty corridors do not mean our wards and intensive care units are empty.
"For ten months our teams have been working selflessly to care for people during the pandemic.
"This is an extremely difficult situation for us all and it is really important that we support each other and act responsibly.
"Please do not attend our hospitals unless you have an appointment, have arranged to visit a loved one or it is an emergency.
"You can help save lives by keeping yourself safe. Please stay home."