MORECAMBE Bay Hospitals have been put on red alert and operations have been cancelled - for the second time this month.

The announcement comes just days after bosses said the last six-day alert, which was stepped down last Monday, succeeded in helping hospitals to cope with extra pressure.

Operations requiring an over-night stay at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary are to be cancelled again because a high number of admissions of poorly elderly patients.

The emergency action, which will also include Westmorland General Hospital and Furness General Hospital, will leave the hospitals trying to play catch-up with surgery that had been cancelled.

Morecambe Bay Hospital NHS Trust deputy chief executive Graham Smith says: "We had a high number of medical admissions of quite sick elderly patients who were requiring slightly longer lengths of stays.

"Neighbouring hospitals were having similar pressure, which made it absolutely vital we did everything to make sure that we had sufficient beds to admit patients.

"We have had to go back to red alert and cancel operations requiring a bed, although we are continuing to carry out urgent surgery."

He says that agencies such as the District Community Nursing Service, the Ambulance Trust and social services will be working together to help get people home.

Mr Smith adds that after the first 'red alert' ended the hospitals concentrated on patients whose operations had been cancelled and managed to clear some of the backlog.

After the second phase of emergency action they will start tackling the lists again.