Hospitals in England are being advised to cancel all elective operations and in-patient treatments until the end of January in response to extreme pressure on A&E departments over the Christmas and New Year period, with particular note being made to the pressure at Milton Keynes Hospital.
Milton Keynes University Hospital reported that it was under 'extreme pressure' at 5pm yesterday, with patients being told not to attend the hospital's Accident and Emergency centre unless there was a genuine emergency.
With many hospitals running at close to full capacity, NHS England's National Emergency Pressures Panel (NEPP) has also said hospitals will not be penalised if patients are admitted to mixed-sex wards.
Non-urgent care such as hip and knee replacements and routine appointments could be deferred, according to an update from the NEPP, while cancer operations and "time-critical procedures" are to go ahead as planned.
Local MPs Mark Lancaster and Iain Stewart have said they were monitoring the situation at Milton Keynes Hospital, and would continue to fight for further support.
They told MKFM earlier: "We understand the hospital has been under a lot of pressure in recent days due to an unusually high number of patients seeking emergency medical care. We have been in touch with the Chief Executive and are assured that this is an exceptional and temporary situation due to a prevalence of acute health conditions this winter. We are confident that he and his staff will continue to deal with the pressures.
"The hospital has received an additional £1 million of funding to help cope with winter pressures. We are committed to making sure our hospital has the resources it needs and will continue to lobby for further support."
The new national measures have been taken to free up staff to help deal with an increased number of patients attending A&E as the NHS struggles to deal with a rise in serious cases of flu and respiratory illnesses over the Christmas period.
The public are also being urged to play their part by using the NHS responsibly, calling 111 or seeking an appointment with a GP, if appropriate, rather than heading straight to A&E.
NEPP Chair Sir Bruce Keogh said: "I want to thank NHS staff who have worked incredibly hard under sustained pressure to take care of patients over the Christmas.
"We expect these pressures to continue and there are early signs of increased flu prevalence.
"The NHS needs to take further action to increase capacity and minimise disruptive last minute cancellations. That is why we are making these further recommendations today."
Hospital trusts have reported huge pressure during the festive season, with one A&E consultant reporting that conditions in his hospital in Stoke were "third-world".
