Hospital pressures hit surgery

All non-urgent elective surgery has been cancelled

Increased hospital admissions for people suffering from flu has led to some operations being cancelled.

Doctors say the number of people affected by flu this winter is the highest since the start of the decade.

The Northern Health Trust has cancelled all non-urgent elective surgery at two hospitals, as resources are stretched.

It said Antrim and Causeway hospitals had seen increased numbers of people, particularly the elderly, with flu-like symptoms and chest infections.

The trust said that many of the patients had to be admitted.

It's a significant outbreak, probably the highest we've had for 10 years and that has created a problem for us Dr Tony Stevens Belfast Health Trust The mysteries of colds and flu

It has opened an extra ward at Antrim "to accept increased emergencies" and appealed for people not to turn up at Accident and Emergency with colds and minor ailments "as this will increase pressure on the service".

It said people should consult GPs or pharmacists in the first instance or the out-of-hours GP service.

"We are also requesting that visitors do not come into hospital if they currently have any illness or infection as this could put vulnerable patients at risk," the trust said.

In Belfast, the number of patients with flu symptoms has also led to some operations being cancelled.

Belfast Health Trust medical director Dr Tony Stevens said they had planned for such a situation.

"It's a significant outbreak, probably the highest we've had for 10 years and that has created a problem for us," he said.

"In Belfast we are doing maybe 250 to 300 operations a day and we have cancelled, at most, 30% of those."

Last month, Northern Ireland's deputy chief medical officer said there was a higher than expected level of flu cases.

Dr Elizabeth Mitchell said the number of cases in December 2008 was the "highest since the millennium".