Epsom Hospital was brought to its knees by an outbreak of the winter vomiting bug, an official report reveals.

The hospital was forced to close its doors after the norovirus put 40 per cent of its beds out of action and closed 78 beds to new admissions.

Ambulances were diverted to other hospitals and accident and emergency consultants did not respond to calls to deal with patients who had been left lying on trolleys for 12 hours.

Hospital campaigners said there are now serious worries about the Trust’s capabilities of dealing with a prolonged and serious outbreak of swine flu.

Geoff Martin, from Health Emergency, said: “We have warned repeatedly far too much capacity has been closed at Epsom and St Helier in the past few years, and the meltdown in January shows bed numbers have been hacked back to dangerously low levels.

“This crisis will be repeated as soon as there is a surge in demand from the flu, norovirus or any of the other inevitable factors which lead to increased patient numbers.”

The norovirus, combined with other medical emergencies, overwhelmed Epsom General Hospital, forcing it to close on the grounds of clinical safety.

Sixteen patients suffering from bouts of severe diarrhoea and vomiting remained in A&E overnight and the resuscitation area was full.

The crisis at Epsom General Hospital, which took place on Wednesday, January 14, has only just been revealed in papers published by Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust board.

In a statement a spokesman for Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust said: “The additional pressures we faced at Epsom and St Helier hospitals as a result of the cold weather and more seasonal illnesses were certainly not unique to our Trust.

“Our A&E departments cared for more than 120,000 people last year.

“During winter, two patients waited longer than 12 hours. While we recognise this is unacceptable, it is important to note that those two incidences are a tiny fraction of the total people that come through our doors every year.

“As with all hospitals across the UK, the Trust has robust plans in place should an outbreak of swine flu occur locally.

“In the event of a swine flu pandemic, all non-urgent operations and other procedures would be suspended, freeing up doctors, nurses and other staff, as well as beds, to deal with the situation.”

The report from an independent review of the hospital’s performance on January 14 said there was a large presence of senior managers at Epsom and quoted comments from staff that there were “too many chiefs”.

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