King George Hospital will restart surgeries from this week

Patients will have to self-isolate before and after their surgery, undergo an antigen swab test and a temperature check on the day of the procedure.

They will also be limited to a specific zone of the hospital, with other services moved around to limit the risk of cross-contamination.

This includes the antenatal service, which some feared might move to the trust’s other hospital, Queen’s Hospital in Romford, and has instead been moved from the first to the ground floor.

Dr Magda Smith, chief medical officer, at the trust, said: “Due to Covid-19 we had to defer planned surgeries for a number of patients.

“Unfortunately the continuing threat and impact of this virus means we cannot simply wait for it to pass.

“Therefore we have restructured a number of our services so that we can begin to reintroduce them safely.

“We have introduced a number of measures including zoning sections of King George Hospital, restricting public access and staff movement, creating new entrances, and increasing patient pre-assessment checks.

“We will review our processes at every step, making any necessary adjustments to ensure our patients and staff can be treated, and work, as safely as possible.”

She added that Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, which manages the hospital, is making the area surgery patients will pass through “as safe and as Covid-19 free as we possibly can”.

Staff working with these patients will be required to complete a self-assessment and have a temperature check at the start of each shift.

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