Operating theatres for elective surgery back to pre-Covid levels at Walsall Manor Hospital

Walsall Manor Hospital has been able to reopen its seventh elective operating theatre last month due to the number of virus inpatients falling.

It comes as NHS chiefs nationally look to focus on restoring services to patients whilst still urging people to play their part and follow the rules.

Ned Hobbs, chief operating officer at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust which runs the hospital, said the virus had now fallen on their risk register.

Speaking at a public board meeting, Mr Hobbs said: "The overall risk score has reduced and that's reduced as a result of reduced demand on our services from Covid-positive patients, we've seen that manifest in sustained reduction in Covid-positive inpatients within the hospital, Covid-positive patients within critical care and indeed within wider services.

"We've also seen the impact of Covid on elective services reduce with the reopening of our seventh elective operating theatre at the start of May, which takes us back up to the number of elective operating theatres that we were running pre-Covid."

Risk factors

The risk score on the risk register has fallen from 12 to nine with proposals put forward to "dissolve" the risk and instead include it in other risks on the register, rather than have it separate, by the end of the month potentially.

Board papers show the reduction came due to the trust having seven Covid-positive inpatients within Walsall Manor Hospital as of May 26, with the trust's critical care occupancy being "consistently" within capacity for the month.

Meanwhile, the report showed almost 90 per cent of high-risk staff at the trust have received their first Covid-19 vaccination whilst more than 80 per cent of high-risk staff have received their second vaccination, as of May 26.