Every intensive care bed in York, Harrogate and Scarborough was full today as the nation's flu crisis deepened.

Busy staff on the medical admissions ward at York District Hospital

The admission came within hours of health chiefs nationally revealing they had only 16 intensive care beds available thoughrout the country.

A spokeswoman for the Northern and Yorkshire health region refused to say how many beds were available around Yorkshire and the North today, saying it would be misleading because the situation was changing all the time. She confirmed there were "less than ten" beds available in the region yesterday but insisted hospitals were coping with the problem.

Mike Proctor, nurse director at York District Hospital, said all six beds in the intensive care unit (ICU) were full, but they were managing the situation.

Although a patient needed admission to the ICU today there was someone already in the unit who was fit enough to be transferred to another ward.

Other options included transferring patients to other hospitals, though he could not say whether any had been moved.

Scarborough General Hospital's communications manager, Gilly Collinson, said its three ICU beds were also full, adding half-a-dozen patients had been moved to other hospitals in the last fortnight, the furthest destination being Leeds.

They were managing the situation, but she added: "In case of an emergency there is no longer any flexibility to cope with unforeseen events. That's an enormous concern to us."

York District Hospital has had to cancel 100 operations because of the influx of largely elderly flu patients but Mr Proctor said the situation did not seem to have worsened today.

Scarborough General Hospital is facing a double winter staffing crisis, with 60 nurses off sick and problems recruiting enough workers to open a new admissions ward.

Mrs Collinson said 26 of the ill nurses had gone down with the flu."So far we are managing, but it's very difficult. It's dedication by the staff that's enabling us to carry on," she added.

Flu headache for hospital

by Andrew HitchonHard-pressed hospital staff have been unable to give patients the quality of care that they need during one of York's worst ever flu epidemics, according to one of the city's front-line nurses.

Workers and managers at York District Hospital believe this winter's outbreak is the worst to have gripped the city in recent memory.

Casualties so far have included about 100 cancelled operations, staff working extra hours to cope with the crisis, and the flu victims themselves, some of whom have had to wait on trolleys for up to four hours for a bed.

The accident and emergency department has faced an average patient increase of 22 per cent in the last three weeks, with 30 to 40 people being admitted each day. Senior staff nurse Kath Harrison said it had put a big strain on the department.

It was getting about 150 patients a day compared with about 100 normally, of whom 50 patients were "very ill". She added at one stage they had to tell patients they faced an indefinite waiting time.

Staff nurse Kate Shead said it was the worst year she had known in her nine years with the department, adding: "It's been very stressful, we haven't been able to give the patients the quality of care that they need while they are in here. It's more a case of shunting people from one place to another. It's the patients that suffer as well as the staff."

The manager of the hospital's medical admissions ward, David Jackson, said though it had only opened in December it had taken the brunt of the admissions. "But we have coped, the staff have worked tremendously," he said.

But the flu had taken a toll on his three night nurses, meaning he would have to work a double shift himself to help to cover the gaps.

The hospital's nurse director Mike Proctor said it would have faced "big trouble" without the new ward.

He said all staff had "worked magnificently", adding: "We have worked as a very cohesive unit, this hospital and our community colleagues.

"The GPs have tried to manage as many patients as they possibly can in their own homes, they have played their part absolutely.

"It may be a crisis but it's one where you see the NHS at its best."

Call for more volunteers

by Sam Greenhill

Age Concern is desperately seeking volunteers to help it cope with the flu crisis.

Hordes of old age pensioners leaving hospital after recovering from the bug are expected to overwhelm the hospital aftercare service run by the charity.

The virus sweeping the nation has already stretched health services to the limit in North Yorkshire, with York District Hospital cancelling dozens of operations to clear wards for flu sufferers.

But the bug's legacy will stretch beyond the hospital stage, with Age Concern worried that it will not be able to cope with an influx of pensioners returning home.

The charity's aftercare service provides volunteers to help elderly people with odd jobs and chores in the first few weeks out of hospital.

Jenny Jarred, co-ordinator of the aftercare service, said: "The idea is to pop in once or twice a week and help out with the shopping, cook a small meal or collect the pension. It is really a question of keeping an eye on people who would normally be able to cope fine on their own but who need a helping hand after a spell in hospital."

She said: "We suspect we are going to be inundated with requests for help because so many elderly people have gone into hospital with the flu.

"We only have 14 volunteers at the moment and some of them are themselves elderly, so can only help people living in their own area.

"We are desperate for volunteers to help. Another problem is that some of our existing volunteers have themselves been struck down with the flu."

She said all that was needed was for people to spare an hour twice a week. Volunteers should drop in to the Age Concern shop on Walmgate, near the Evening Press, or telephone 01904 627995.

For pensioners requiring more substantial care after spending time in hospital, Age Concern runs another service, which currently has enough volunteers.

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