GHA faces strain on hospital beds

The Gibraltar Health Authority has been forced to cancel a number of operations in recent weeks due to a shortage of beds, forcing managers to take steps to ease the strain.

A combination of factors including seasonal illness and the need to care for long-term patients has placed bed managers and nursing staff under huge pressure.

In response, the GHA has rescheduled operations and rolled out extra beds to cater to the demand. The authority is also working with the unions to ensure safe manning levels on the wards.

In the long term, the new dementia facilities will further help to address the problem, the GHA said.

"A number of operations have been cancelled this month after several years when there were virtually none due to the exceptional circumstances,” a spokesman for the Gibraltar Government told the Chronicle.

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