Dr Keith McNeil, Chief Executive, says: "We continue to make progress in closing contingency areas but require to remain focused on discharging patients.
"Our priority is to care safely for the patients already in the hospital and arrange the safe discharge of those who are well enough to go home and to ensure that we can provide care for those who require urgent treatment.
"Given the extreme circumstances, we are contacting the relatives of patients who are medically fit to go home, with ongoing care needs such as feeding or personal care and asking them, wherever possible, to take their relative home while care packages are put in place, where appropriate.
"As part of our plans to manage high demand on our services, we have cancelled non-emergency surgery. Right across the country the situation is similar. Ambulance and community services are also under pressure and this has put additional pressure onto acute hospitals.
"We are therefore continuing to ask patients not to attend A&E unless they have an emergency or other serious health problem.
"If you have an outpatient or other appointment booked, please come as planned unless you have been directly contacted by hospital staff asking you to rearrange. If you have any concerns, please call the phone number on your appointment letter. I would like to thank all staff, whether based in the hospital or in the community, who are working very hard to ensure we can continue to provide care to our patients in these challenging circumstances."
*******
Adrian Ient| Senior Media Relations Manager
Tel: 01223 274433 | Ext: 4433
Mobile: 07703 887759
http://www.cuh.org.uk
_____________________________________
Major incident continues at Addenbrooke's
9 January 2015
Cambridge University Hospitals declared a major incident on Tuesday due to unprecedented levels of demand on its services with especially high numbers of frail elderly patients, combined with a record level of patients whose medical care is finished and whose discharge is delayed (DTOCs).