Rotherham coronavirus patients to be treated in Sheffield

As of Monday August 17, Rotherham patients needing hospitalisation for coronavirus will no longer be treated at Rotherham General Hospital, and will instead be treated at the Hallamshire's centre for infectious diseases.

As the number of patients requiring hospital treatment has reduced from the height of the pandemic, health bosses in Rotherham say beds in the borough are no longer needed.

A statement from the Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust said: "At the beginning of the pandemic, the Royal Hallamshire Hospital was the primary hospital in our region providing treatment for those people who had Covid-19 but as the number of patients rose, all our hospitals began to provide this care. Now, as numbers have reduced, we no longer need as many hospital beds available for Covid-19 patients and we’re now aiming for people to be treated at the specialist centre only again.

"So from Monday August 17, if you live in Rotherham and need hospital care for Covid-19 you will be treated at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield as the region’s Centre for Infectious Diseases.

"We will continually review this based on the local infection rates and numbers of people being admitted to hospital. Please continue to help us reduce the spread of coronavirus by following national guidance: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/, as well as adhering to the restrictions and measures we have in place at Rotherham Hospital and around the borough.”