Paediatric units are under 'severe, sustained pressure'

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- REBECCA THOMAS

Children’s operations are being cancelled because paediatric intensive care units across the country are full as a result of the severe spike in flu cases, The Independent has been told.

Cardiac and other operations are being postponed, increasing the risk of medical emergencies, because of the pressure on children’s ICU beds, medics have warned.

Dr Adrian Plunkett, president of the Paediatric Critical Care Society (PCCS), and Dr Arun Ghose, PCCS council member and communications lead, told The Independent: “The UK’s paediatric intensive care capacity is a scarce national resource currently under severe and sustained pressure.”

In the last few weeks, paediatric critical care units across the country have consistently reported a higher number of patients in beds than staff available to run them, according to the PCCS medics.

“This has led to local centres surging, with nursing and medical staff doing extra clinical work to manage the increased demand,” they said in a joint statement. “This surge in admissions is being driven predominantly by influenza and other respiratory viruses.”