High demand sees hospital trigger safety alert
NHSA Lancashire hospital has declared its "highest level" of alert due to high demand putting "patient safety at risk".
The Royal Lancaster Infirmary (RLI) in Lancaster has been placed at level four of its Operations Pressure Escalation Levels, which means a hospital is "unable to deliver comprehensive care".
The decision to trigger the escalation means the hospital can take additional steps to maintain patient safety.
The University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT) said its other acute hospital, Furness General Hospital in Barrow, was operating normally. It comes as the trust warned it would run out of money if it did not make changes.
UHMBT said its staff were focusing on speeding up discharges for patients who did not need to be in hospital, diverting non-emergency cases away from Accident and Emergency and cancelling non-urgent meetings.
The trust said it was also seeking help from other NHS partner organisations.
A spokesperson said: "Our teams continue to work exceptionally hard.
"We would like to reassure our patients and the public that in spite of the challenges faced, essential services remain fully open for anyone who needs them so if you require urgent medical help, please continue to come forward."
Meanwhile, UHMBT said significant financial challenges meant it was having to take serious decisions.
A ward which housed 24 beds would shut at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary which will save almost £450,000 in the next financial year.
The trust said the beds were used for rehabilitation for patients whose care would be better served outside a hospital.
No timing for the closure has been announced.
UHMBT added that no services were being removed or reduced nor were any jobs are being lost.
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