A HAMPSHIRE hospital has opened more beds to reduce pressure on Southampton General Hospital.

Bosses at Lymington New Forest Hospital are offering 11 beds to support their Southampton colleagues in dealing with a winter bug outbreak.

It comes as the Southampton hospital remains on black alert, meaning there are NO empty beds available due to high volumes of admissions.

Seven additional beds have been in operation at Lymington since October – on the medical assessment unit and alongside the rehabilitation ward – and a further four will come into use from New Year’s Day.

A new consultant triage model has also been launched while GPs, ambulance crews and the out-of-hours service can contact a consultant medic between 8.30am and 8.30pm seven days a week to discuss the referral and management of patients.

The hospital is run by Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust.

Sarah Olley, the hospital’s clinical services manager, said: “The consultant is available to advise on the most appropriate place for treatment.

This helps to reduce the number of admissions to acute hospitals when alternative care is more suitable – whether that is being admitted to Lymington New Forest Hospital, or putting in place support to enable the patient to get better at home.

“We’re also backing the national ‘Feeling under the weather?’ campaign, which aims to reduce pressure on urgent and emergency NHS care this winter. It’s targeted at frail elderly people who are often admitted to hospital with illnesses that could have been effectively managed at home – if advice had been sought earlier.”

University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust, which runs the General, said this winter was not busier than previous years but that patients with the winter vomiting bug norovirus continue to attend the emergency department against medical advice.

Doctors are urging anyone with diarrhoea and vomiting symptoms to stay at home and consult the NHS 111 service, unless they develop other symptoms.

As reported by the Daily Echo, the General shut seven wards this month while an orthopaedic ward at the Princess Anne Hospital also had bays closed.

The hospital is seeing a rise in admissions of patients with respiratory problems and is urging any elderly people with breathing difficulties to visit their GPs urgently.

Try to avoid trips to your local A&E

ANDY Hyett, deputy chief operating officer at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, said: “As with any winter period, we remain under intense pressure with capacity very stretched and increasing numbers of elderly people suffering from severe respiratory problems.

“The main issue we have at the moment is that many do not appear to be seeking medical advice early enough from their GP, either by phone or appointment, so they are coming to us in a worse condition – often requiring admission.”

Dr Adrian Higgins, clinical director for urgent and emergency care with NHS West Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group, added: “Please don’t go to your local hospital’s emergency department if you’re only experiencing coughs, colds or diarrhoea and vomiting – they are struggling to care for the numbers of people who are very ill."