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| Derriford Hospital cancels 1,000 ops during 'black alert' | Derriford Hospital cancels 1,000 ops during 'black alert' |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| More than 1,000 operations are thought to have been cancelled at a hospital in Devon that has been on "black alert" since January. | |
| Plymouth Hospitals Trust said routine operations including hernia repair and knee and hip replacements had been cancelled at Derriford Hospital. | |
| "Black alerts" are also in place at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust and Yeovil Hospital in Somerset. | |
| The alert means a hospital's services are overwhelmed by demand. | The alert means a hospital's services are overwhelmed by demand. |
| 'Very sorry' | |
| Kevin Baber, chief operating officer for Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "In January we cancelled about 700 operations either on the day of surgery or in advance. | Kevin Baber, chief operating officer for Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "In January we cancelled about 700 operations either on the day of surgery or in advance. |
| "I would expect February to be the same, so it will be over 1,000 and we're very sorry about that." | "I would expect February to be the same, so it will be over 1,000 and we're very sorry about that." |
| Mr Baber said: "The patients that have attended our A&E department have needed to. We have not seen large numbers of patients attending who are inappropriate attenders." | |
| He said he "could not answer" when the trust would not be on "black alert". | |
| Elsewhere, the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust has been on alert status since last Tuesday. | |
| The local authority, Cornwall Council is funding a recruitment campaign for more care workers in response to the crisis. | |
| Torbay and the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital has been on red alert for the past week and Dorset County Hospital is also on red alert - one level below black. |