NHS Tayside have introduced a new protective measure to keep surgery patients safe amid the coronavirus crisis.
Patients entering Ninewells Hospital in Dundee for urgent surgery for serious conditions, such as cancer, will be treated in a new ‘green zone’.
The zone, based in the West Block, ensures patients are kept apart from areas in the hospital caring for coronavirus patients.
Routine elective surgery remains paused in Tayside hospitals, and the safety measures only cover planned urgent surgery.
Work is ongoing to introduce a Green Zone at Perth Royal Infirmary.
Wards and surgical theatres in the hospitals West Block have been designated as the Green Zone and patients coming in for their operations will be directed to a dedicated separate entrance for the area where they will be met by one of the surgical team.
Patients due to undergo the urgent treatment must isolate for 14 days before attending the hospital to ensure they do not have the virus.
NHS Tayside’s pre-assessment team support the patient during this time by ensuring they receive food and medicine packages from community volunteers.
Dr Pamela Johnston, Associate Medical Director, Surgical Care Division, said the extra precautions ensured risk was minimised.
She said: “By creating this Green Zone, we are effectively creating a protective bubble around these patients.
“It is so important that we protect them as much as we can as they have put in so much effort to get themselves ready for surgery.
“We want them and their families to be reassured that we have planned and prepared very carefully to minimise risk when they come to hospital.
“Measures are in place to minimise footfall in the zone to only those staff who need to be there.
“Staff working in the zone are using the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and observing the two metre physical distancing rules. As with all of our staff, they will also be continually monitoring themselves for coronavirus symptoms before coming to work.”
Rezoning measures have been rolled out across Tayside hospitals already, with wards set up to deal with coronavirus patients.
