THE number of patients admitted for routine operations to the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay Foundation Trust is down by 88 per cent according to recent figures released by NHS England.

The number of completed procedures reported to have taken place at Morecambe Bay Trust in May 2020 is 92, in comparison to 1459 in May 2019.

This decrease is eight per cent higher than the national average reported by the NHS.

These statistics are most likely due to the smaller population the trust covers, which means that the statistics can see a more dramatic change than other trusts which serve larger populations.

The postponement of non-emergency operations was due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has become the main concern of NHS trusts across the country.

However, the Morecambe Bay Trust has recently announced it will soon be resuming non-emergency and routine operations once again.

Kate Maynard, interim director of operations for UHMBT, said:

“Throughout the pandemic our main priority has been to ensure that all patients requiring urgent care have received the treatment and care they have needed.

“We are now in a position to cautiously and safely start to restore some of the services that we have had to delay because our teams have been focusing on the COVID-19 response.

“We wish to thank our patients and their families for their understanding and patience during this highly challenging time.

"We also wish to reassure everyone that safety and infection prevention measure are at the core of our plans to reinstate services.”

The trust has already started to see some of the patients awaiting urgent elective procedures.