A Welsh health board says staff absences coinciding with a rise in Covid cases has led to them cutting services.
On Monday evening the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board posted on social media asking people to only attend hospitals in the Gwent region if they were “absolutely desperate”. The health board also cut its opening hours at Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr minor injuries unit.
Staff at the health board said each hospital is experiencing “higher than normal staff sickness levels due to the rise in Covid-19 cases in the community”.
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The positivity rate of those people tested for Covid-19 in the health board area - from Caerphilly to Monmouthshire - is at 48.6% over the past seven days, which is an increase of 22.5% in comparison to the previous week.
Currently 1,322 Aneurin Bevan UHB staff members or 8.75% of staff across the health board are off work sick or isolating.
A spokesman for the health board said: "Because of staff absences, combined with an extraordinarily high demand for our services, we have had to postpone some elective procedures but all clinically urgent surgery has continued as normal. It is inevitable that if Covid-19 cases continue to rise then there will be more disruption to our services and we are reviewing this situation on a daily basis.”
The health board currently has more than 100 patients in hospitals with Covid-19 - which has almost doubled in the past week. You can see the full coronavirus figures on January 4 here.
A spokesman for the health board added: "To help protect the NHS, we would appeal to local people to adhere to the national guidelines to help prevent the spread of the virus in our communities - minimise contact with other people, social distance, wear masks and get vaccinated.
“We are continuing to ask the public to only consider visiting our hospitals if absolutely essential. We would advise that people should consider visiting their local pharmacist, contact their GP surgery, or call NHS 111 for help and advice.”
The news comes a day after Swansea Bay health board posted on social media stating it was “extremely busy” and asking for healthcare workers to volunteer to work extra hours.
The appeal, shared on social media, said: "URGENT: Calling Swansea Bay nurses and HCSWs [healthcare support workers].
"We are currently extremely busy and looking for volunteers to work extra hours this evening. If you can help, please ring 01792 703 269 asap. Thank you!"
The health board's appeal came just hours after an earlier message asking members of the public to use the minor injuries unit at Neath Port Talbot Hospital instead of Morriston Hospital in Swansea.
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