Patients are being assured that appointments, procedures or operations for cancer care, and those classed as clinically urgent, continue to be prioritised by Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust as it juggles the additional demands of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Some routine care has had to be postponed but a lot of work is going on in both Walsall Manor Hospital and its community services to restore this as soon as possible

William Roberts, Director of Operations for Surgery at the trust, said: “We want to keep our patients up to date with their care – especially where that care is routine and may have been postponed – as we appreciate this is a concerning time for them.

“The pandemic has meant that we have had to prioritise our resources to deliver quality and safe emergency, urgent and critical care. This means that a far wider range of staff than usual are once more involved in directly caring for patients accessing these services. Our operating capacity has been significantly reduced for a temporary period of time. Some patients’ routine appointments, procedures or operations may have been affected as a result but cancer care and clinically urgent cases are still being prioritised at this time.

“We are also continuing to care for patients supported by our community services although we might occasionally change how that care is delivered, again to help us respond to the pandemic.

“We understand patients’ frustration and thank them for bearing with us and supporting us at what is a challenging time for all of our communities. We are doing everything we can to restore their care as soon as possible but, understandably, are not able to give exact details and dates at this stage.  We thank our patients for the important part they’re playing in trying to reduce infection rates in Walsall – observing the Hands, Space, Face advice – and will continue to take all the measures necessary to keep them and our own staff safe and minimise the risk of transmission.”