Elective surgery cancelled at Hartlepool hospital for 48 hours after a number of staff test positive for Covid

North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation trust announced on Wednesday, October 7, that the University Hospital of Hartlepool is suspending all elective surgery as a precautionary measure for 48 hours.

Eighteen operations over Wednesday and Thursday have been affected.

The surgery suspension comes as Hartlepool hospital begins final stage trials of a new potential Covid-19 vaccine.

The hospital trust says it is not yet known where the virus was contracted and may have been from outside the hospital setting.

Chris Tulloch, Deputy Medical Director, said: “We have not taken this decision lightly.

"First and foremost, the safety of both our patients and our staff must come above and beyond everything else.

“This precaution, we hope will give minimal disruption to our elective surgery activity.”

The trust said Hartlepool hospital has an ‘outstanding’ record for low cancellation rates.

And as an organisation it says it is ‘way above’ national guidelines for pre-arranged admissions and procedures during the recovery phase of the pandemic at over 100% of planned activity.

Mr Tulloch added: “The virus is still very much amongst us. It is still exceptionally contagious, and lives will continue to be lost if we don’t adhere to the hands, face, space directive.

"We are of course in a new phase regards tackling it, but we can ill afford to be complacent now after so much hard work to date.

"Our staff continue to be dedicated to all of the guidance surrounding social distancing and PPE.

"Such is the nature of the virus, it may well have been contracted outside of the organisation, but in the spirit of openness and honesty – with which we always operate, immediate action must be taken to prevent further spread.

"We hope our communities support and understand our actions.”

Anyone with planned surgery at the University Hospital of Hartlepool is asked to contact their consultant’s secretary for an up to date position.

The hospital trust previously put its elective surgery programme on hold for around three months during the first wave of the national outbreak.

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