§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how long Whipps Cross hospital and Wanstead hospital have been on red alert; for what reasons; what are the implications for services to patients; if he will ensure that the alert is lifted before the onset of the winter months; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MellorThe number of emergency admissions to Whipps Cross hospital increased by up to 35 per cent. from mid-August to early October. To maintain in-patient services for emergency and urgent admissions it was necessary to restrict some planned admissions. To do this Waltham district health authority issued a red warning from 3 October to 16 October 1989. This has led to some patients experiencing delays in their planned admissions.
The health authority has plans to allocate beds flexibly to deal with the increased winter workload. This has been the procedure in the last two years.