Hospitals in Greater Manchester have made the difficult decision

to pause some non-urgent surgery and appointments

due to the rising impact of COVID-19.

Patients who will be affected by this will be contacted by the hospital as soon as possible.

If you are not contacted by the hospital, please assume your treatment is continuing as planned.

There is no need to contact the hospital or your GP practice for this information.

We understand how disappointing this will be for patients who have appointments or procedures affected, especially those who have already waited for some time, and we know people will be worried.

This is a temporary measure, and the aim is to impact the fewest number of patients. The situation will be reviewed on a regular basis so that procedures can resume as soon as possible.

Urgent treatments and cancer operations will continue to be prioritised and hospitals will continue to work together across Greater Manchester to care for patients so that everyone who needs urgent care and treatment, gets it.

Anyone waiting for treatment can find advice and support on the Greater Manchester [whileyouwait.org.uk]While You Wait website. Here you will find information and advice on how to manage your physical and mental wellbeing while you wait.

This is a difficult decision and one that has not been taken lightly, but we’ve done it so we can keep people safe, can maintain the very best infection control measures, can make sure we deploy staff to where they’re needed most and can keep looking after people who need urgent and emergency care, including cancer treatment.