Cancer and urgent elective procedures resume at Blackpool Victoria Hospital as patients face 14 days in isolation and Covid-19 tests at Bloomfield Road

Cancer and other urgent operations are back underway at Blackpool Victoria Hospital after being axed to keep people safe during the pandemic.
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It marks another step closer to normality at the Whinney Heys Road hospital – although measures will still be taken to ease people’s worries.

In a statement, the hospital said: “Understandably, you may be worried about coming forward for surgery or in-patient treatment in the hospital at the present time, but we can assure you that all necessary precautions are being taken to manage the risk.

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“And as a major part of these precautions, if you are invited to attend for surgery, you will be required to self-isolate at home, along with the other members of your household, for the 14 days immediately before your admission date.

An ambulance drives past a 'Bpl loves NHS' painting on the road outside Blackpool Victoria Hospital on June 3, 2020, during the coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic (Picture: Daniel Martino for JPIMedia)An ambulance drives past a 'Bpl loves NHS' painting on the road outside Blackpool Victoria Hospital on June 3, 2020, during the coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic (Picture: Daniel Martino for JPIMedia)
An ambulance drives past a 'Bpl loves NHS' painting on the road outside Blackpool Victoria Hospital on June 3, 2020, during the coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic (Picture: Daniel Martino for JPIMedia)

“If you are listed for an endoscopy procedure, the isolation time is seven days.

“You will also be asked to attend a Covid-19 test 72 to 48 hours ahead of your admission date to ensure you are not carrying the virus.”

The tests will be carried out at the NHS’s drive-though facility at Blackpool FC’s Bloomfield Road stadium, with the hospital arranging them for patients. Home tests will be sorted for those unable to drive.

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“It is vitally important that you adhere to these requirements ... to minimise any risk of infection,” the hospital said.

Patients asked to self-isolate for seven to 14 days before their operation have been urged to “talk to your friends, family and employer about the importance of self-isolating at this time”.

They should make plans with loved ones “on how to manage shopping and childcare”, while patients with carers or living in care homes were asked to follow the guidance “as much as possible”.

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