As you may be aware, we made the decision on Tuesday 6 January to escalate to Operations Pressure Escalation Level (OPEL) 4 at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary (RLI) due to significant and increasing demand for our services. OPEL 4 is the highest alert status for NHS hospitals in England, signalling extreme pressure.
While our hospitals remain pressured and there are still challenges, we have de-escalated back to OPEL Level 3 from 3.50pm today, Thursday 8 January.
The decision to de-escalate was made because the pressure at UHMBT has reduced to a level which while still very significant, does not meet the national OPEL 4 criteria.
Our site safety and flow meetings that take place four times a day will continue to support teams across the Trust in dealing with any issues as they arise. We continue to work closely with our system partners to support the Trust and we will also continue the focused actions we have put in place this week over the forthcoming weeks to improve flow across the site.
We would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere thanks to everyone for their patience and understanding.
What can you do to help?
If you are not contacted directly, please continue to turn up for your appointments. Please also contact the number on your appointment letter if you are no longer able to attend your appointment so it can be reallocated to another patient.
Our teams continue to work exceptionally hard and we would like to reassure our patients and the public that despite the challenges faced, essential services remain fully open for anyone who needs them, so if you require urgent medical help, please continue to come forward.
Members of the public can help us manage these periods of demand by ensuring they are seeking help from the most appropriate health services and only attending A&E for serious accidents and emergencies.
If you are unwell, please visit NHS 111 online for 24/7 advice about the most appropriate care for your needs.