The trust that manages Royal Preston Hospital and Chorley and South Ribble Hospital has taken the decision to de-escalated from the highest internal alert level after 24 hours, but warned that the sites ‘remain fragile’.
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust implemented OPEL (Operations Pressure Escalation Level) 4 on Thursday (8 January) in response to growing demand for its services.
This meant taking measures, such as the cancellation of non-essential meetings, so all hospital staff could focus on immediate care for patients for as much time as possible.
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But on Friday (9 January), the trust has de-escalated to OPEL 3 while noting the situation at both sites is ‘fragile’ and that there are still ‘significant challenges’ in areas.
A spokesperson for the trust said: “Whilst we have returned to OPEL 3, the sites remain fragile and we will continue to take OPEL 4 actions today to ensure we have a stable position over the weekend.
“We would like to thank the public for their patience and understanding while our clinical teams restore our services to operational capacity and we would like to thank our colleagues for their dedication and commitment to putting patients first during difficult circumstances.”
The trust has reiterated that the public can help by ensuring they are seeking help from the most appropriate places and booking for a flu, Covid-19 or RSV vaccine if you are eligible.
The NHS nationally saw a drop in flu admissions during Christmas week but said they were ‘far from complacent’ ahead of the forecasted cold weather which is now happening in the UK which was expected to mean increased pressures.
An amber cold-health alert, issued by the government, remains in place until midday on Monday (12 January).
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