Vomiting bug leads to surge in patients at Stoke Mandeville Hospital

11:10am Thursday 10th January 2013 in News By Lawrence Dunhill

Vomiting bug leads to surge in patients at hospital Vomiting bug leads to surge in patients at hospital

A WINTER vomiting bug has led to surge in patients at Stoke Mandeville Hospital over the last fortnight and prompted health chiefs to issue a public appeal.

Outbreaks of norovirus have swept across Britain, with the Health Protection Agency estimating that more than a million people have been hit by the bug in the last six months, with confirmed cases up by 63 per cent on last year.

The highly contagious stomach bug causes sickness and diarrhoea, and people with these symptoms are being urged to stay away from the hospital.

Health chiefs took the unusual step of contacting media outlets on Saturday evening to help spread the message.

Norovirus can survive for several days on surfaces or objects touched by an infected person, and outbreaks of the bug forced two ward closures at Stoke Mandeville last month.

Although sufferers should not normally require a visit to a hospital or GP, the virus can often aggravate other illnesses which may then require a hospital visit.

Sarah Hills, a spokesman for Stoke Mandeville Hospital, said: "It is important that we ensure we have the staff and services available to treat the very sick people who need our services.

"Therefore, we have recently reminded people that they should consider all options available when they are unwell, including the minor injuries and illness unit, their GP or pharmacist, and only to use their local A&E department if they are seriously unwell or critically injured.

"This is a message we need people to consider at all times, not just when our hospital is busy.

"We would also like to remind people to stay away from the hospital if they are experiencing symptoms of diarrhoea or sickness, unless you are seriously unwell....

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"Until you have been symptom free for 48 hours, please do not visit friends and relatives at the hospital."

Wexham Park Hospital in Slough has also been under added pressure recently, while the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford was "full to capacity" last week, a spokesman told the Bucks Free Press.

Campaigner Terry Price believes the recent ward closures at Wycombe Hospital are partly to blame for the extra pressure being faced by staff at Stoke Mandeville – see related links.

For more information about norovirus see: www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Norovirus

Comments (7)

12:19pm Thu 10 Jan 13

wearywasp says...

Yes, if you are ill stay away from hospital!! Go to your local A&E department; oh no can't do that they've closed it. Or maybe your GP; oh no can't do that, after their new contracts and pay rises they don't do out of hours or weekends any more.
Yes, if you are ill stay away from hospital!! Go to your local A&E department; oh no can't do that they've closed it. Or maybe your GP; oh no can't do that, after their new contracts and pay rises they don't do out of hours or weekends any more. wearywasp

12:19pm Thu 10 Jan 13

wearywasp says...

Yes, if you are ill stay away from hospital!! Go to your local A&E department; oh no can't do that they've closed it. Or maybe your GP; oh no can't do that, after their new contracts and pay rises they don't do out of hours or weekends any more.
Yes, if you are ill stay away from hospital!! Go to your local A&E department; oh no can't do that they've closed it. Or maybe your GP; oh no can't do that, after their new contracts and pay rises they don't do out of hours or weekends any more. wearywasp

2:33pm Thu 10 Jan 13

EssexBlur says...

If you are ill, STAY THE HECK AT HOME and get better.

DO NOT circulate in public, go to cinema, pool, shopping, STAY THE HECK AT HOME!

That will stop the spread. Now wash your hands and go to bed.
If you are ill, STAY THE HECK AT HOME and get better. DO NOT circulate in public, go to cinema, pool, shopping, STAY THE HECK AT HOME! That will stop the spread. Now wash your hands and go to bed. EssexBlur

3:11pm Thu 10 Jan 13

Scarletto says...

Expected nightmares coming true here since A&E closed in Wycombe.

SM and Wexham Park A&Es already under great pressure are sometimes being semi-swamped with patients waiting even longer. Ambulance crews from Wycombe areas are also under pressure as ambulances travel much further with 999 patients and are off the road longer therefore.
People being turned away from new minor injuries unit at Wycombe Hospital when their injuries are graded too severe to be treated and then make longish, painful and distressing treks to Slough or Aylesbury.
It's a scandal and involves life or death crisis sometimes. Wake up Wycombe and protest...
Expected nightmares coming true here since A&E closed in Wycombe. SM and Wexham Park A&Es already under great pressure are sometimes being semi-swamped with patients waiting even longer. Ambulance crews from Wycombe areas are also under pressure as ambulances travel much further with 999 patients and are off the road longer therefore. People being turned away from new minor injuries unit at Wycombe Hospital when their injuries are graded too severe to be treated and then make longish, painful and distressing treks to Slough or Aylesbury. It's a scandal and involves life or death crisis sometimes. Wake up Wycombe and protest... Scarletto

3:28pm Thu 10 Jan 13

Scarletto says...

The norovirus crisis is just magnifying the crisis in our area hospitals.
Of course people with these bugs should isolate themselves in their homes, stay by the loo and their bed, sip as much liquid as possible and just wait for it to pass.
It's nasty but it will end.
What worries me is the basic problem we've got in our area re. A&E services etc.
If anyone here has just a little faith in health service executives and a lingering feeling that "they must know what they're doing" then just read last weekend's Sunday Telegraph about the complacency, blind eye-turning etc which has gone on in other districts which once had good to very good hospital services. Patients died after cutbacks and neglect by well paid executives and senior nursing officers.
We used to have an A&E dept in Wycombe and now we've got to go to Stoke M taking extra time, extra pain, extra expense, extra delay, risking life, occupying the ambulance service more etc.
Too many people are doing nothing about the cuts, the worsening service and the risk to lives.
We need perhaps an independent candidate at the next election here to stand up and campaign about our damaged NHS.
Our current Conservative MP has taken little action and of curse toes his party line and our Labour party has not led any campaign over our real crisis causing so much distress.
Sadly, too many people, relatives and friends who have suffered in our wards and departments are too timid to complain in case it means they are targeted by staff as "troublemakers."
Perhaps if we ALL write in to protest something might happen but I suspect the health officials will batten down the hatches and probably be right in thinking that we'll all go away.
Now wait for the next Free Press report about a patient and relatives being distressed by our depleted services. Some people will die or at least suffer pain and distress having to go the extra miles to Slough or Aylesbury's A&E departments.
The norovirus crisis is just magnifying the crisis in our area hospitals. Of course people with these bugs should isolate themselves in their homes, stay by the loo and their bed, sip as much liquid as possible and just wait for it to pass. It's nasty but it will end. What worries me is the basic problem we've got in our area re. A&E services etc. If anyone here has just a little faith in health service executives and a lingering feeling that "they must know what they're doing" then just read last weekend's Sunday Telegraph about the complacency, blind eye-turning etc which has gone on in other districts which once had good to very good hospital services. Patients died after cutbacks and neglect by well paid executives and senior nursing officers. We used to have an A&E dept in Wycombe and now we've got to go to Stoke M taking extra time, extra pain, extra expense, extra delay, risking life, occupying the ambulance service more etc. Too many people are doing nothing about the cuts, the worsening service and the risk to lives. We need perhaps an independent candidate at the next election here to stand up and campaign about our damaged NHS. Our current Conservative MP has taken little action and of curse toes his party line and our Labour party has not led any campaign over our real crisis causing so much distress. Sadly, too many people, relatives and friends who have suffered in our wards and departments are too timid to complain in case it means they are targeted by staff as "troublemakers." Perhaps if we ALL write in to protest something might happen but I suspect the health officials will batten down the hatches and probably be right in thinking that we'll all go away. Now wait for the next Free Press report about a patient and relatives being distressed by our depleted services. Some people will die or at least suffer pain and distress having to go the extra miles to Slough or Aylesbury's A&E departments. Scarletto

7:54pm Thu 10 Jan 13

gotanybiscuits? says...

Stoke Mandeville is not remotely "local".
.
So long as I'm able to drive, I can get to hospitals in other counties quicker.
.
Is anybody listening?
Stoke Mandeville is not remotely "local". . So long as I'm able to drive, I can get to hospitals in other counties quicker. . Is anybody listening? gotanybiscuits?

12:17pm Fri 11 Jan 13

Aquator says...

way back in 1984 (that year of prophetic significance) the woman I was married to woke one morning with extreme abdominal pain. The doctor was called and attended, although he was brusk and uncaring stating that she had nothing more than indigestion after which he left. I tried to sit her up and she went into seizure and feinted. I called for an ambulance, they asked if a doctor had visited, I admitted one had and so they refused to allow an ambulance. Back then Wycombe and Amersham alternated for A&E so I had to borrow a car and get a friend to help to lift her in (now predominantly unconscious). By the time I got her to Amersham, she had lost 3.5 pints of blood internally, an ectopic pregnancy.
Imagine the same scenario now. Or worse a local mass casualty incident and no A&E.
This event and the destrcution of the ailing health service through privatisation will KILL.
way back in 1984 (that year of prophetic significance) the woman I was married to woke one morning with extreme abdominal pain. The doctor was called and attended, although he was brusk and uncaring stating that she had nothing more than indigestion after which he left. I tried to sit her up and she went into seizure and feinted. I called for an ambulance, they asked if a doctor had visited, I admitted one had and so they refused to allow an ambulance. Back then Wycombe and Amersham alternated for A&E so I had to borrow a car and get a friend to help to lift her in (now predominantly unconscious). By the time I got her to Amersham, she had lost 3.5 pints of blood internally, an ectopic pregnancy. Imagine the same scenario now. Or worse a local mass casualty incident and no A&E. This event and the destrcution of the ailing health service through privatisation will KILL. Aquator

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