York District Hospital has got over its first big crisis of the winter, according to health chiefs.

About 20 planned non-emergency operations had to be cancelled last week after 82 people were admitted as emergencies within 24 hours.

Colin Watts, one of the hospital's general managers, said: "That's three times higher than normal, and there was a knock-on effect."

The cancellations took place last Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, after the sudden influx of patients the previous Friday.

But Mr Watts added: "Everything that was planned for the end of last week came in, and it was OK over the weekend and Monday morning."

The problems were due to a variety of causes, including people coming in with chest infections, and elderly patients who suffered injuries and other complications in the first cold snap of the year. The hospital was facing added problems due to high levels of staff sickness, again mainly with chest infections and colds. Mr Watts said they had not yet seen signs of actual flu among the influx of patients.

Because of the so-called "bed block" problems highlighted by the Evening Press in our Care in Crisis campaign the hospital has already opened an extra 20 beds normally used to cope with "winter pressures" caused by cold weather illnesses and injuries due to falls and so on.

Mr Watts said those beds would now stay in use until the end of March and the hospital's winter pressure and Millennium plans remained on course.

"Apart from the odd hiccup we are coping within our planned winter resources," he added.

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