Pathfinder
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Hospitals double numbers of intensive care beds to cope with possible swine flu surge
10 Sep 2009
The number of hospital beds for seriously ill people will be more than doubled to cope with a possible surge of swine flu cases, it was announced today.
Adult intensive care beds will increase from 180 to at least 378 and paediatric beds will increase from 24 to 48 in NHS hospitals in Scotland.
Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: ?Over the past number of months we?ve been working hard with NHS boards to put in place plans to significantly increase critical care capacity, should it be required later in the development of the pandemic.?
The measures were detailed in a Scottish Government plan to prepare for a rise in cases this winter.
The beds will be made available at NHS hospitals - while paediatric beds will be increased at Glasgow and Edinburgh children?s hospitals.
The expansion will be met in part by upgrading high dependency beds to intensive care beds.
An extra 40 adult and 15 paediatric ventilators are being bought.
NHS boards are trying to identify where extra staff can be deployed as part of the plan.
Ms Sturgeon said routine operations will be affected under the plan.
She said: ?As I?m sure everybody would agree, not just in this country but in all countries, it?s vital that during the kind of exceptional circumstances that pandemic flu outbreak represents, it?s vital that the NHS is using its resources in a way that prioritises those who are most ill and most in need of intensive care.?
Health professionals are ?hoping for the best with flu but preparing the worst?, she said during the announcement at St Andrew?s House in Edinburgh.
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/...o-cope-with-possible-swine-flu-surge-1.919027
10 Sep 2009
The number of hospital beds for seriously ill people will be more than doubled to cope with a possible surge of swine flu cases, it was announced today.
Adult intensive care beds will increase from 180 to at least 378 and paediatric beds will increase from 24 to 48 in NHS hospitals in Scotland.
Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: ?Over the past number of months we?ve been working hard with NHS boards to put in place plans to significantly increase critical care capacity, should it be required later in the development of the pandemic.?
The measures were detailed in a Scottish Government plan to prepare for a rise in cases this winter.
The beds will be made available at NHS hospitals - while paediatric beds will be increased at Glasgow and Edinburgh children?s hospitals.
The expansion will be met in part by upgrading high dependency beds to intensive care beds.
An extra 40 adult and 15 paediatric ventilators are being bought.
NHS boards are trying to identify where extra staff can be deployed as part of the plan.
Ms Sturgeon said routine operations will be affected under the plan.
She said: ?As I?m sure everybody would agree, not just in this country but in all countries, it?s vital that during the kind of exceptional circumstances that pandemic flu outbreak represents, it?s vital that the NHS is using its resources in a way that prioritises those who are most ill and most in need of intensive care.?
Health professionals are ?hoping for the best with flu but preparing the worst?, she said during the announcement at St Andrew?s House in Edinburgh.
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/...o-cope-with-possible-swine-flu-surge-1.919027