A hospital in the Highlands has declared a 'code black' crisis, but what exactly does code black mean?
Raigmore hospital has been deemed 'code black' due to rapidly rising Covid cases, with increasing hospital admissions and large numbers of staff forced to isolate.
As the NHS Highland hospital finds itself at breaking point, here's what code black means...
What does code black mean?
Code black is a fairly rare situation in hospitals, meaning the it is at complete capacity with no beds available for any new A&E admissions.
Code black means that patient safety is at risk.
The general bed manager of the hospital is in charge of the declaration and informs the NHS board and local ambulance services so they know not to take patients to the hospital.
Why is code black necessary?
Amidst rising infection rates around the country, hospital Covid admissions have been increasing putting extra strain on hospitals which are returning to more normal service.
With Covid more prevalent in the community, staff members are having to isolate, meaning there is less people available to cover shifts.
In addition, with many hospitals starting to work through the backlog of operations, they are just as busy as they were at the peak of the pandemic meaning they cannot cope with the sudden increased in cases.
What are the Covid cases in my area?
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here