10 May 2018
System wide update issued by BNSSG CCG
Patients across Bristol, North Somerset and South
Gloucestershire are being asked not to use A&E unless it's a
genuine emergency, following a fire at the Bristol Haematology and
Oncology Centre, next to the BRI, which is affecting NHS services
throughout the local health system.
A system-wide major incident has been declared following the
overnight fire in the Centre, which led to 53 patients being
evacuated to other parts of University Hospitals Bristol NHS
Foundation Trust (UH Bristol).
Although all patients were safely evacuated following the fire,
adult services at UH Bristol remain severely disrupted and the
adult Emergency Department at the BRI is now only treating patients
with minor injuries and walk-in conditions.
The Bristol Eye Hospital and Children's Hospital Emergency
Department remain unaffected but all other patients requiring
in-patient admission are being diverted to other Emergency
Departments across the South West.
Chair of Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire CCG,
Dr Jonathan Hayes, said: "We're extremely grateful to local NHS
staff who have responded magnificently to this major incident and
ensured that patients continue to receive safe and effective
care.
"Although the local health system is coping well following the
fire, the temporary divert of emergency ambulances from the BRI is
putting increased pressure on services across the wider area.
"For this reason we're asking people to do their bit by making
sure that they use A&E for genuine emergencies only, and to
consider alternatives such as NHS111 and local minor injuries units
for non-emergency conditions."
Additional measures have been put in place to increase capacity
across the local health system following the incident.
These include local minor injuries units, which have extended
their opening hours to accommodate potential increased demand. The
Minor Injuries Unit in Clevedon and the Urgent Care Centre (UCC) in
South Bristol will both close at 10pm today, while the Minor
Injuries Unit in Yate is also expected to close at 10pm. These
extended hours are likely to continue over the weekend.
Staff at local hospital trusts and community healthcare
providers have also been asked to work extra shifts and in some
cases, routine, non-urgent surgery has been cancelled over the next
two days to free up extra space. In cases where operations are
cancelled, patients will be contacted directly by hospitals to
notify them of the change.
Community providers are also working closely with local
authorities to discharge hospital patients quickly in order to
create bed space.
Further updates on the major incident and additional measures
will be posted in the health
services section of their website.
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