NON-urgent operations, procedures and outpatients appointments are being halted at hospitals across North Wales.

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) say that to ensure they can deploy their staff as "effectively as possible", they have reluctantly taken the decision to postpone non-urgent operations, procedures and outpatient appointments with immediate effect from Monday, December 20.

They have also asked that all other non-essential services are paused to allow staff to be released to support the vaccination campaign.

Dr Nick Lyons, executive medical director at BCUHB, said: “We have reluctantly taken the decision to postpone non-urgent procedures and outpatient appointments until January 4, 2022. This is the best way of protecting our workforce and delivering our vaccination programme which has been rapidly accelerated to be completed by the end of this month. In turn, this will help to protect our services throughout the winter months.

“We understand this will be distressing news for patients who are expecting to undergo an operation or receive their appointment over the coming weeks and I sincerely apologise for this.

“We will be regularly reviewing these changes in light of emerging evidence and transmission rates across North Wales.”

All emergency surgery, urgent cancer treatment and maternity services will continue across the three main hospitals: Ysbyty Gwynedd, Glan Clwyd Hospital and Wrexham Maelor.

BCUHB say over the last week they have seen a huge increase in the number of Covid-19 vaccines given out across North Wales.

A spokesperson for the health board said: "Last week we more than doubled the previous week’s vaccination rate - administering a record 66,000 jabs, including 24,000 over the weekend alone.

"Our staff are pulling out all the stops to administer booster jabs to all eligible adults in the next 10 days, ahead of an anticipated peak in Omicron cases in January. Getting booster jabs into the arms of all eligible adults over the next 10 days is critical if we are to protect NHS services in January.

"This represents a huge challenge - particularly as we are forecasting that a significant number of staff may be absent from work due to COVID-19 infection or self-isolation over the coming weeks."

All patients whose procedures will be postponed will be contacted directly and are asked not to contact the hospitals.