News / Health
Southmead Hospital instructs visitors and staff to wear masks
Southmead Hospital bosses are asking visitors and staff to wear face masks in its ’emergency zone’.
North Bristol NHS Trust made the request as NHS hospitals are facing an increased demand due to a surge in flu cases.
Patients have also been asked to come to A&E unaccompanied where possible, following a previous request on January 3 for people to consider other NHS services following very high demand in emergency care.
In a statement to Bristol24/7, professor Steven Hams, chief nursing officer and director of infection prevention and control for North Bristol NHS Trust, said: “In line with the wider NHS, Southmead Hospital is currently very busy, with a significant increase in the number of inpatients who have tested positive for flu.
“We continue to see unwell patients across our Emergency Care Service and all appointments are going ahead as normal; however, we would like to remind the public of alternative services such as pharmacies and 111, both online and by phone, which are more appropriate for minor ailments.
“All patients are clinically triaged upon arrival to our Emergency Department and you may be redirected to an alternative service if your condition does not require treatment in a hospital setting.
“We are incredibly grateful to our staff for their continued efforts in caring for patients during this particularly busy time – and would also like to thank the public for their ongoing support.”
Graph from the Office for National Statistics showing data on positive Influenza reports since 2022
While numbers of positive flu cases are not as high as December 2022/243, they have increased year on year since, as seen in official data from the Office for National Statistics.
Main photo: Martin Booth
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