Elective surgeries postponed as Guernsey's Princess Elizabeth Hospital reaches full capacity

The States of Guernsey has announced some elective surgeries will be postponed as the Princess Elizabeth Hospital has reached full capacity.

Overall, 19 elective surgeries will be delayed, including 13 orthopaedic and six general operations.

Further disruptions may still affect elective surgeries in the coming days, but emergency surgeries will be prioritised.

However, Health & Social Care (HSC) has reported that they reluctantly postponed one cancer surgery due to a lack of a critical care bed for them.

Recently, HSC revealed a 22% reduction in cancelled operations, but orthopaedic wait times remain high.

There are 113 beds at the hospital, but this excludes the De Havilland ward, which is usually ring-fenced for orthopaedic patients.

Additional temporary beds have been utilised, but they cannot be used long-term.

HSC stated: "We recognise it is always disappointing when elective surgery has to be postponed and apologises for the impact this has on individuals and their families."

"There is no single factor impacting on acute care and it is a seasonal issue with demand outstripping available capacity.

"Teams have worked tirelessly to minimise the number of postponed elective surgeries."

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