Omicron Covid variant: Barnsley Hospital 'as prepared as we can be' for mutation of virus

During a meeting of Barnsley Council’s overview and scrutiny committee yesterday (November 30), the trust’s winter plan was presented to councillors to scrutinise.

The plan sets out the arrangements that the trust has in place to ensure its vital services will be available to patients throughout the winter period.

Bob Kirton, chief of delivery and deputy CEO, Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust told the meeting: “We know as much about the new variant as anybody else at the moment, we’re just trying to find out more about it.

“The plan talks about more surges, and that includes new variants.

“It’s not what we want, but we’re as prepared for it as best we can be.”

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Mr Kirton added that Yorkshire Ambulance Service is also under ‘unprecedented pressure’, adding that 999 calls are ‘through the roof’.

Harry Truelove, system support and delivery manager at the Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust (YAS) said that although the service is facing ‘unprecedented demand’, there has been a ‘significant reduction’ in the number of non-urgent calls to the service.

Harry added that YAS has seen a ‘massive increase in urgent and emergency’ calls, but fewer category four calls, which are for non-urgent problems.

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