Bath's Royal United Hospital is working through a backlog of non-urgent treatments as it prepares for a second wave of Covid-19 this winter.

The hospital has seen a low number of cases – 266 Covid-19 cases and 59 deaths as of last week – but is learning from worse-hit areas in case that picture changes.

It is rolling out home testing to boost capacity in diagnostics, looking at where best to target rapid testing, working with independent hospitals for urgent and cancer procedures and increasing outpatient activity with 'virtual' appointments by phone or video.

Rhiannon Hills, interim chief operations officer, told the trust's board of directors this week that the hospital's initial emergency response to the Covid-19 pandemic had a significant impact on routine waiting times as non-urgent outpatient, elective and diagnostic activity was paused.

The second phase two of the response, after the outbreak peaked, saw the hospital focus on increasing non-Covid-19 urgent services, as well as routine non-urgent elective care.

Ms Hills said: "We are now in phase three, where we are looking to build on the work already done and to concentrate on maximising elective care activity ahead of winter.

"Waiting list backlogs remain a key challenge but we have plans in place to reduce numbers, while managing increasing demand for our full range of patient care services.

"I'd like to thank our patients for their understanding, and to reassure them that they've not been forgotten during these challenging times."

advertisement

Figures shared with the trust board showed that, as of September 25, the hospital had seen 266 Covid-19 cases and 59 deaths. There was only one confirmed case at that time.

There has not been a Covid-related death at the RUH since early June.