Coronavirus: Three of NI's five health trusts cancel planned surgery

Planned elective surgery was cancelled in at least three of the five health trusts in Northern Ireland this week.

The trusts involved say it is because of staffing pressures and the need to increase the number of intensive care beds for seriously ill Covid patients.

The Northern, Southern and South Eastern Trusts all say cancer and urgent elective surgery is being prioritised.

But that means some planned elective surgery in each area was cancelled.

The Belfast Trust was unable to supply any information as yet, while the Western Trust said it had not cancelled any elective surgery.

The Southern Trust said increasing its intensive care unit (ICU) beds to 16 meant it needed an additional 105 nursing staff in the unit.

Those are mostly theatre staff which directly affects planned surgery.

A spokesperson for the South Eastern Trust said there had been "minimal" cancellations, as routine procedures had already been scaled down as pressures built.

They added the "small number" of patients affected will have their "less urgent" surgeries rescheduled as soon as possible.

Theatre activity in the South Eastern Trust, which is planned weekly, is dependent on pressures in ICU.

The Northern Trust said the 25 inpatient and six day case elective lists at its hospitals are prioritised for cancer and other surgery.

It said it expects pressure to increase in the coming weeks, but those patients whose procedures have been cancelled will be prioritised when elective surgery can be expanded again.