Hospital bosses have had to cancel some operations due to winter pressures.
So far this week Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Trust has cancelled 26 non-urgent day cases on the day of the operation.
Trust chief operating officer Helen Barker said they had not “planned to undertake routine elective inpatients this week, and will not be doing so through January” in a bid to lessen the impact of winter pressures.
It comes as patients with norovirus are told to stay away from hospitals due to the bug being evident on hospital wards.
And this week NHS England has told all hospitals in the country to cancel operations to deal with the impact of winter bugs.
Mrs Barker added: “We already had plans in place and these are constantly being reviewed, reflecting the increased pressure both from the volumes of patients, the acuity of these and the more recent outbreak of norovirus on some of our wards.
“The plans we have include only undertaking cancer and time critical operations; increasing the senior doctors and nurses supporting accident and emergency departments and inpatient areas, and postponing some non-urgent outpatient appointments.”
They have also expanded assessment facilities, suspended training sessions so staff are free for medical care plus they are speeding up diagnostic results.
In a bid to free up hospital beds, they are working with social care partners to allow discharge of patients to happen more speedily.
On Tuesday A&E at both Huddersfield Royal Infirmary and Calderdale Royal Hospital were “extremely busy” and patients were warned waiting times were, in some cases, over four hours.
People with non-emergencies and norovirus (a diarrhoea and vomiting bug) were urged to stay at home.
People attending with long-standing ailments, without new cause of accident and emergency, are also a factor in the extra pressure.
The hospital urges people with norovirus or any similar virus to stay at home and wait until symptoms have been clear for 48 hours before visiting.
They say anyone who does need to attend should use the hand gels on arrival and departure.
People feeling unwell are urged to try a pharmacy, their GPs or call NHS 111 if their condition isn’t an accident or an emergency.
