Hospitals cancel surgery due to flu

Some hospitals have been told to cancel operations to make way for the most seriously-ill flu patients.

The NHS is preparing to expand the number of beds available for a highly specialised treatment which is often seen as a last resort.

Extra corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) helps patients whose lungs or heart are not working normally and uses an artificial lung to oxygenate blood outside the body.

The main ECMO centre is based at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester but seven hospitals in total are currently running ECMO beds, including Papworth Hospital in Cambridge, the Royal Brompton in London and the University Hospital in south Manchester.

As of Christmas Eve, 22 ECMO beds were in use across the UK, up from five in early December. Four more beds are now being arranged and steps are also being taken to expand this number by cancelling planned operations at some hospitals that provide ECMO.

This will free up surgeons who usually provide cardiac surgery to move across to ECMO, which uses similar skills.

Other hospitals which have specialist respiratory centres and provide intensive care have also been asked to cancel planned operations. This will ensure that those patients who are stable enough to leave ECMO can move into intensive care beds.

A spokeswoman for the National Specialised Commissioning Team said: “The National Specialised Commissioning Team has significantly increased the number of beds available for patients requiring ECMO. The number of beds has increased from five in early December to 22 with a further four beds being arranged.”

The Government has admitted that some parts of the country are suffering shortages of flu vaccines. Suppliers have been asked to contact their factories in Europe for a count of UK-licensed vaccines after the Government admitted it was considering bringing in supplies.

There is no central stockpile of seasonal flu vaccines, which are ordered every year by GPs and delivered to surgeries. After reports of patients being unable to get jabs from their GP, the Department of Health issued a statement insisting there was “no national shortage” but admitted some areas were experiencing “local supply issues”.