{"id":19239,"date":"2025-01-02T08:50:49","date_gmt":"2025-01-02T09:50:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=19239"},"modified":"2025-01-02T16:26:25","modified_gmt":"2025-01-02T16:26:25","slug":"hospital-visits-severely-restricted-amid-flu-spike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=19239","title":{"rendered":"Hospital visits severely restricted amid flu spike"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"StuartStuart Woodward\/BBC<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
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Visits have been severely restricted at a hospital battling a surge in flu cases.<\/p>\n

Broomfield Hospital, in Chelmsford, said the emergency department, acute medical unit and medical wards were closed to visitors, except for patients receiving end of life care.<\/p>\n

A statement on the hospital’s website<\/a> said the decision was made “to protect our patients”.<\/p>\n

It came as hospitals in Colchester, Ipswich, Luton, Bedford and Milton Keynes all urged people to wear face masks at their sites.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Health services across the East of England have been under growing pressure because of a spike in seasonal viruses.<\/p>\n

On New Year’s Eve, the East of England Ambulance Service declared its highest alert level<\/a>, stating it had received an “unprecedented level” of 999 calls.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"NikkiNikki Fox\/BBC<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
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It followed concerns raised by Nick Hulme, the chief executive of East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Colchester and Ipswich Hospitals.<\/p>\n

Mr Hulme said staff had been thrown “slightly off course” by an earlier-than-expected surge in flu infections.<\/p>\n

After a visit to both the trust’s hospitals<\/a> on Christmas Day, he said: “It was extraordinary to see the level of patients on both sites.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

‘Exceptional demand’<\/h2>\n
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A statement from Bedford Hospital and Luton and Dunstable Hospital painted a similar picture of winter pressures.<\/p>\n

“Our hospitals are seeing an exceptional level of demand on services,” it read.<\/p>\n

Bosses said only one healthy individual could visit patients there at a time, with people encouraged to wear face masks.<\/p>\n

Milton Keynes Hospital advised that children under the age of 12 should avoid visiting a patient “due to infection control reasons”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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As the strain on the health service intensified over Christmas, NHS England national medical director, Prof Sir Stephen Powis, said: “Despite record A&E demand in recent months, we want to reassure people that we are working incredibly hard to keep them safe, manage additional pressure and provide the best possible care.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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More on this story<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Related internet links<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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