An extra 30-bed ward has been prepared specifically for Covid-19 patients at Dundee’s Ninewells Hospital as the health board strives to cope with increasing demand.
Health chiefs have revealed that contingency plans have been put in place as part of the next phase of NHS Tayside’s Covid response plan, with the region currently seeing its highest number of patients requiring hospital care since the pandemic began.
A total of 189 Covid-19 patients are presently being treated in Tayside hospitals, while there are a further 15 patients in high dependency and eight in intensive care who require more specialist care.
NHS Tayside has therefore reconfigured services at Ninewells Hospital in a bid to cater for the influx of patients, and clinicians have readied additional beds in Dundee should they be required.
Dr Pamela Johnston, NHS Tayside operational medical director, explained: “As we did in March when we created a hospital within a hospital, our clinical teams have been changing the footprint of Ninewells to ensure we can continue to provide safe and effective care for the people of Tayside.
“Clinical teams have been planning for the current scenario of increased numbers for many months and our plans are working well.
“An additional 30-bed ward for Covid-19 patients has been prepared and we are able to open these beds if they are required over the coming days.”
However, Dr Johnston stressed that if more Covid-19 beds are needed in the coming days, the “reality” for frontline teams is that capacity for other services would be reduced.
“Our approach in this second peak of the virus is to monitor on a daily and weekly basis the impact of COVID-19 in our hospitals, looking at COVID patient admissions, emergency admissions for other conditions and our staffing situation,” she continued.
“We are not standing down whole theatre lists or services in a blanket fashion, which is different to the first phase approach where all elective procedures were postponed.
“However, we may see a small number of patients who were due to have routine surgery rescheduled or be offered their procedure at another facility, for example, a patient who had been booked to have an operation at Ninewells may be offered the procedure at Perth Royal Infirmary.
“It is this flexibility which our clinical teams are keen to keep going as they are committed to keep elective services running as far as this is possible.
“It is really important that the people of Tayside continue their efforts to reduce the transmission of the virus.
“We need everyone to keep doing their part, following the guidance and sticking to the rules. “We will get through this together and please know that our staff will keep providing care and treatment in these extraordinary times.”
