DEDICATED staff have been thanked for keeping Worcester's hospital running during an "extremely challenging few days" as a result of the travel disruption caused by the snow.

Michelle McKay and Caragh Merrick, the chief executive and chairman of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, respectively, have written an open letter to thank staff.

They said: "We would like to put on record our thanks to our dedicated staff who have helped keep our hospital services running effectively through an extremely challenging few days.

"There are so many examples of both clinical and non-clinical colleagues from the Alexandra, Kidderminster and Worcestershire Royal Hospitals and our community staff going above and beyond – making extremely difficult journeys through the snow to get to work, coming in despite not being on duty, staying on well past the end of their shifts and in some cases sleeping in the hospital overnight – all to make sure our patients received the care they needed.

"Former members of staff, volunteers and our local communities also rallied to offer their assistance – for example, helping to get staff to and from work.

"Winter is already a difficult time for our hospitals and wider health economy, and the arrival of the hazardous weather has undoubtedly put us under even more pressure.

"However, the huge team effort, which includes the invaluable support from our partner organisations, has meant that we have been able to keep our hospitals open and have not cancelled any activity - a significant achievement.

"As we head further into winter we are starting to see some positive benefits of our countywide Winter Plan in terms of the timeliness and quality of care we provide to our patients. We know that we still have more work to do but we would like to reassure your readers that we remain committed to continuing to provide the best, safest care we can however challenging the circumstances.

"Whilst not new to us, the last few days have highlighted the sheer dedication and determination of our very committed and caring workforce and we have been overwhelmed with messages of support and thanks – something which we know our staff are very appreciative of."