14 January 2010
Despite the adverse weather conditions again this week, the Trust is getting back to 'business as usual' for outpatient departments with all clinics up and running across Epsom, St Helier, Sutton and The Nelson hospitals.
In addition, non-urgent, planned, surgery cases at Epsom Hospital - which have had to be postponed in recent days because of the snow - are also running smoothly.
A small number of evening clinics, run by the Trust, at Leatherhead Hospital have had to be re-arranged, simply because the weather has been more disruptive in that area.
Our clinical teams continue to do everything they can to keep postponements to a minimum and patients affected by any disruption to our services have already been notified. Although the weather appears to be improving, we are obviously monitoring the situation closely, and will make any decisions about postponing further services on a day-to-day basis.
If it is not safe for you to get to hospital or you would like to rearrange your appointment, please call our outpatient appointments centre on 020 8296 2968 to let us know. Alternatively, you can visit our website - www.epsom-sthelier.nhs.uk/appointments.
All of the Trust's hospitals are now busy, having seen an increase in the number of patients attending because of accidents in the icy conditions, seasonal illnesses and chest infections. Because of this, we are encouraging local people to make sure they are accessing the right care from the right service.
Chief Executive Samantha Jones said: "During cold snaps such as this one, more and more people fall ill or have accidents out on the icy roads and pavements. This puts our hospitals under increased pressure, and, as such, we are asking people to only visit our A&E departments if they have suffered a serious injury or accident, or have developed a sudden serious illness or medical condition."
To find out more about how you can access the right care from the right service at the right time, visit our website - www.epsom-sthelier.nhs.uk/choosewell.
