Patients still testing positive for COVID-19 are being sent home from St Mary’s as the hospital bids to open up bed space.
Due to the significant and sustained pressures, the Isle of Wight NHS Trust has had to make difficult decisions to prioritise patients who are in more need of emergency care.
In recent weeks, health leaders across Hampshire and the Island have issued an urgent plea to residents to only seek help in an emergency, amid a perfect storm of rising pressures. Pressures included an increase of people being treated in emergency departments and almost every hospital bed in the region was full as patients who could leave hospital had nowhere to go.
Those decisions meant people were being turned away at the emergency department and directed to more appropriate services where required. This ensured patients could be discharged quickly to free up beds and COVID-positive patients could be discharged if they had received all the acute care they needed.
The move to discharge COVID-positive patients falls in line with recent government guidance when it stood down infection control precautions. They can be sent home or to a care setting, with the appropriate isolation advice.
Now, figures from the Isle of Wight NHS Trust show between 1st April and 3rd May it discharged 65 patients who were clinically fit but who had received a positive COVID test up to 10 days prior. Of those discharged, 54 went back to their usual place of residence, including their homes, residential or nursing homes, and 11 were discharged to a temporary residence or specialist care setting.
The Trust has asked families and carers to support their loved ones in the short term.
The health body is asking people who think they need urgent or emergency care to phone 111 or visit 111 online first which will then direct them to the service most suited for their needs.
Perhaps the Doctors Surgery should start seeing those who need assistance then , my mother had been to the heights this morning ,where the surgery was empty to be told rudely to go away and make appointment by phone .
Which she had been trying to do all morning with no success.
This is disgraceful and we have had a hike in National service to pay for rude and idol secretary , because the service is no longer fit for purpose . We are getting less service now than before the pandemic
I agree! – I think you may mean National insurance, though! 🙂
Might not be to long before we are being called up for National service!!
That wouldn’t be a bad thing. – It might sort some of the “youth of today”out!
Totally agree! If the doctors surgery won’t see you, if the illness is of real concern, you have no alternative but to seek help elsewhere.
So it’s not about care and protecting the vulnerable then it’s about saving beds and money as usual
Is it not a fact that most patients with coronavirus actually went in without the virus and got it whilst in hospital. Bit unfair throwing them out after giving it to them.
What a bunch of hypocrites the NHS IoW are!
They insisted on having, and maintaining restricted visiting for sick relatives (including those without COVID), they have insisted on maintaining masks etc, etc. But NOW, because it suits them, they are quite happy to let what they freely admit are infectious patients out of the previously enforced quarantine/isolation into the community at large.
You really could not make this up!
Although testing is no longer required perhaps people should have a bit more thought about how to protect themselves against getting COVID? Instead of looking at those of us who wear face coverings to protect ourselves so judgementally!
People need to be respectful of those that still wear masks and sanitise etc , no 1 knows who or if someone in their family are vulnerable….
So is it 2 much to ask that you respect those of us that wear our masks to protect ourselves and other’s ?????
Alas probably is for the selfish who will deny covid exists and only think of themselves!!!
I await the mark downs .lol ….
Where have i heard this before when elderly people were released into care homes
Perhaps we should either end most immigration or build less houses as the island and much of the country struggles to cope with too many people now
Well said! I remember when I was little being told he Island would sink one day if overners kept coming here to live! Maybe this is the kind of sinking they were talking about! Yes keep the island for Islanders!
Talk about diversity. do you think this bit of land is paradise. Read the headlines. As I think you do. So are you a real cork head or just being silly.