A HOSPITAL trust has slammed a "highly disrespectful" Facebook post which claims that one of its sites is "not under pressure".
Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said it is currently caring for more patients than it had been at the peak of the first wave of the pandemic in April.
The trust's strong response comes after a Facebook post from yesterday - which has been shared more than 384 times - claimed that St Richard's Hospital in Chichester is "not under pressure".
It included images of the site showing empty corridors and beds.
The post stated: "The Prime Minister has announced a national lockdown and has instructed people to stay at home to control the virus, protect the NHS and save lives.
"These hospitals are not under pressure.
"You are being isolated and controlled by your government, for a virus with a recovery rate of 99.7 per cent."
But, in an unprecedented move, Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust shared a screenshot of the post on its social media pages and rubbished the claims.
A spokesman said: "It is very disappointing to see misleading images and inaccurate comments on social media, suggesting that the NHS is not under pressure.
"This is untrue and highly disrespectful to all the patients and families affected by Covid, as well as our staff who are working extremely hard in very challenging circumstances.
"Currently at Western Sussex Hospitals we are caring for a large number of patients with Covid-19 - in fact, many more than during the peak of the first wave last April.
"We must stress, pictures of empty corridors do not mean our wards and intensive care units are empty.
"For ten months our teams have been working selflessly to care for people during the pandemic.
"This is an extremely difficult situation for us all and it is really important that we support each other and act responsibly.
"Please do not attend our hospitals unless you have an appointment, have arranged to visit a loved one or it is an emergency.
"You can help save lives by keeping yourself safe. Please stay home. Thank you."
The Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is responsible for St Richard's Hospital in Chichester, Worthing Hospital and Southlands Hospital in Shoreham.
Last Wednesday, East Worthing and Shoreham Conservative MP Tim Loughton issued a statement to say he had discussed the ongoing increase in the number of Covid patients with a West Sussex hospital boss.
He said: "Today I spoke to the chief executive of Worthing Hospital for an update as I am aware that there has been a lot of unhelpful misinformation circulating on social media.
"These are the up to date headlines.
- READ MORE: The areas of Sussex with the highest weekly coronavirus rates as the county enters lockdown
"Covid patients at Worthing have been doubling each week and are now up to 46 at Worthing including six in the intensive care unit (ITU).
"This is obviously a big increase on the low of three I reported at the beginning of the month.
— Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (@westernsussex) January 5, 2021
"In Brighton, the number is up to 80 with 16 in ITU.
"This is to be expected given that Covid infection rates in the South East are now up to 476 per 100,000 population, above the England average of 402 but well below the London level of 814.
"Despite this Worthing is coping well as staff continue to do a fantastic job and there is still sufficient spare capacity, especially in ITU.
"The biggest pressure is coming from calls to take more patients from Kent where hospitals are under severe pressure though there are calls for these to be diverted to the London Nightingale."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel