Coronavirus wards at St Mary’s Hospital will remain in place for at least another 9 months, in case of any further outbreaks of the virus.
In order to provide secure places to treat patients affected by COVID-19, and reduce the potential further spread of the virus, some parts of St Mary’s Hospital in Newport were transformed into wards with suitable space between beds and patients.
The Laidlaw building, which previously housed outpatient clinics, including rheumatology and other therapies, was turned into a COVID ward and will now stay that way until at least April, a senior leader has confirmed.
Joe Smyth, Chief Operating Officer for acute and ambulance services for the trust, said the main outpatient department would be returning but NHS Improvement (NHSI) guidance has stopped the reconfiguration of Laidlaw. He said:
“NHSI has been very clear — there is a huge potential here for a second wave and we have to be able to turn back beds at a days notice, we can do that with the bay in the outpatients’ area.
“The other outpatient area, the Laidlaw building, we have had to do significant work to make that fit as an inpatient facility.
“Unfortunately, we are going to have to keep the beds in that facility until April next year — we have been told we have to.”
Most of the outpatient services have been rehoused in a ward to the north of the hospital or other areas, and Mr Smyth hopes the services will be back up to speed by September, when the last of them are moved.
However, other areas of the Isle of Wight NHS Trust’s response to COVID, including the Field Hospital, which saw Isle of Wight businesses and the army coming together to help build, will be in place until at least the end of winter.
Claire Gowland, deputy chief operating officer, said at a meeting of the trust’s board last week:
“When we started modelling and worked on the worst-case scenario, we commissioned additional beds and a field hospital that we luckily haven’t had to use or access. We are conscious it is there and we may need to switch them on at some point in time.”
Steve Parker, clinical director at the trust, confirmed the extra resources will be staying put for now but said it would be a challenge to maintain services pre-COVID. He said:
“The extra beds, the field hospital, the medical assessment unit are still on-site and we have been instructed to maintain those at least until the end of winter.
“The real crux of the problem is having the hospital function within its existing resource, there is still a requirement for us to have hot and cold areas.
“Moving forward both locally, regionally and nationally there will be a large gap between capacity and demand. Coming out of Covid is going to be more difficult than how we got into it.”
Chief executive, Maggie Oldham, spoke of the ‘real dilemma’ the whole of the NHS was facing in that they do not know who has the virus and who has not. She said:
“A doctor said to me in the non-Covid areas you need to consider those patients as silent assassins because you cannot let your guard down. So it is very complex for us, and across the NHS, but is just affects us more because of our size and scale. “
The Government have no choice. They ‘have’ to get the nation back to work, as now we have imported so many dirt poor into our midst, we would soon starve.
So, although our Government can’t admit that they know many of us will die, it should be clear to most that that is just what will happen as a few masks will not prevent everyone from catching this, so as it ONLY took one person to infect the entire planet, even a ‘few’ catching this will soon spread it to great numbers.
HMG KNOW this, hence the increased hospital beds and refrigeration units for those yet to become a victim.
I would wait until the vaccine is available before going to pubs, out for meals or mixing in gyms, having your nails painted with dots etc.
You may well NOT live to regret it.
The authorities know that there will be a huge spike in hospital admissions and deaths from CV.
The Government bought ‘time’ during lock down to equip hospitals with more beds, PPE and cold storage for the deceased to be safely stored in.
The very ‘last’ thing that our Government needed was for people to die at home which would have been the case when CV spikes.
For then, instead of ‘just’ being a ‘number’ in a daily growing tally of death, people would have names, have neighbours and loved ones upset at having to nurse the dying at home, and ‘that’ to a Government would destroy their chances of ever getting re-elected.
So, now, as life begins to ramp up, HMG know that hospitals will be able to just cope with the numbers of ill expected. Those who sadly die, will then do so, without the media frenzy which would have surely happened, should these unfortunate people not had the dignity of dying in relative obscurity in a hospital ward.
HMG usually does want ‘suits’ it first, and if such happens, as in this case to ‘fit’ in with what the people need, then so much the better.
Yet HMG have to balance the economy as well as try to look after our welfare, so have no other choice, but cannot say such, as truth is very unpopular with the electorate.
I thought Boris said it will all be over by Xmas ?
For him, not for the rest of society. He has already had it and luckily survived. Others with less intense treatment and a less effective immune system may not fare so well.
So let’s presume that during the 2nd so called spike in the winter months the fatalities are unfortunately basically the same as now here on our island. So all that space on all empty wards at St. Mary’s hospital should be utilised to plough through the huge backlogs of other other urgent illnesses etc.,that are adding up daily. Cancer treatment being one of them. So instead of sending patients to the mainland on private treatment should never evolve. A question should be answered on what the hell are the specialists, consultants,surgeons etc., here are doing. Are they busy on private jobs. I , for one, am adamant that NHS doctors should only do NHS work. Also I pray and hope that this so called Covid19 has had its day. I am still on the opinion that it’s a mutated form of flu that we weren’t prepared and had no vaccine for. Just my opinion. Stay safe and hang in there.
I agree with some of what you say. But what do you mean by “so called Covid19 ” It’s real!
Yes the virus going about is real but scientists have created the name Covid 19 . I just pray that this winter the government will have learned by their mistakes. Otherwise there will be a lot of unfortunate and unnecessary deaths. I’ve asked and asked where did our seasonal flu bug go – not getting any answers. The phrase I used ‘ so called covid19’ was in hind sight a bit loose.
In the meantime .you cannot see your gp for any reason .or get treatment at hospital for any existing conditions . I can’t even get a filling fixed at my dentist . What is the impact of this neglect of our health by the NHS going to be in the long term.
The deaths from undiagnosed cancer is going to be far higher than deaths from the virus.
You people still don’t get it do you!? Of course there will be a second wave, people getting seasonal flu, but recorded as Covid 19! This is what’s going to happen, second spike( flu season) masks mandatory once leaving home, second lockdown Christmas/ jan. a vaccine opinion feb, mandatory vaccine by April ! We will never go back to normal life. This is what I believe will happen,and I’ve been right so far. All this over a flu like virus ( gov.uk look it up) probably won’t post this, I hope they do.
I’ve said all along that this virus out there is a lot more dangerous than our normal flu season one up to now. Until a new vaccine comes along then there will be a lot more deaths this winter. As I have posted before that the seasonal flu jab given to us last October was virtually coming to its end for success. I was told by the nurse that. The only thing that i was asked for the first time was whether myself or my wife was allergic to egg white as the vaccine was cultured in them. No one out there will give me a satisfactory answer as where the flu bug went. Also as to the truth about how many unfortunate souls that were certified as Covid 19 victims were flu victims (god bless them) One last question is how come virtually every bus that I have seen have all the passengers wearing face masks but not the driver Please enlighten me. Stay safe.
Where is the second wave on the Island going to be coming from?
The visitors … so get that 20 minute test up and running and test every visitor to the Island.
Positive result and go back home… if negative you can stay.
Sorted.
So today the news ( your news not mine) said that the office of statistics announced that there wasn’t a spike or second wave after the pubs and restaurants open. And why is everybody worried and the R rate? It’s the Death rate you should worry about and that’s fallen off a cliff! How much more bloody evidence do you need, for petes sake!