Bosses at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary have again raised operational levels to their highest point due to rising patient demand.
The University Hospitals Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT) today said they have taken the decision to escalate to OPEL 4.
This is the highest level of internal escalation, and is due to increased pressures at the trust's hospitals and medical centres.
OPEL 4 is declared when a hospital is ‘unable to deliver comprehensive care’ and patient safety is at risk.
"Due to increased pressures at the University Hospitals Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, we have taken the decision to escalate to OPEL 4 - the highest level of internal escalation," said Scott McLean, chief operating officer at UHMBT, which also runs Furness General in Barrow and Westmorland General in Kendal.
"This allows us to be able to take additional steps to maintain safe services for our patients and help us cope with the growing demands.
"Declaring OPEL 4 enables us to bring all our partners in Lancashire and South Cumbria together to focus on one thing - the safe and timely care of all of our patients.
"As always, patient safety must take priority and we need to take action to make sure that those who are more clinically urgent get the help they need as quickly as possible.
"There are some immediate actions being taken by Trust teams and our partners, including:
- Utilising all alternative options to the Emergency Department (ED) including Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC), Surgical Emergency Ambulatory Care (SEAC), Gynaecology Assessment Unit (GAU) and the Priority Assessment Discharge Unit (PADU).
- Community colleagues focussing on admission avoidance activities
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Seeking support from local place-based partners and Integrated Care Board (ICB) systems."
The trust also raised its operational levels to OPEL 4 in December, when there were 1,391 attendances at the RLI emergency department in a single week, the highest number on record, and more than 80 patients were seen in the emergency department over a two-day period.
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Read more: Royal Lancaster Infirmary at highest level of demand due to service pressures - Beyond Radio
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