Ten operations scheduled for today (Fri) have been postponed at Addenbrooke’s Hospital - as the norovirus outbreak appears to have to have turned a corner, with just three wards now affected by the virulent bug.

Visitors are still being kept away from the five ‘closed wards’ in a bid to curtail the spread of the diarrhoea and vomiting infection.

A total of 37 non-urgent operations scheduled for yesterday (Thursday) had to be cancelled and 10 operations scheduled for today have been postponed.

A spokesman for Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are currently facing intense pressure due to a number of factors, including delayed transfers of care, increasing demand for beds and norovirus.

“As a result, we have postponed 10 operations which were due to take place today (Friday). We will keep the situation under close review over the coming days and will offer all of those patients affected a new appointment as soon as possible.

“We appreciate this can be frustrating for patients and are sorry for any inconvenience it has caused. However, it has been necessary for us to take these steps to ensure we can continue to deliver a safe, high quality service to those in need of urgent and emergency care.

“Staff have been working really hard with the ambulance service, PCT, GPs and community services to discharge patients who are ready to go home or onto further care. This remains our priority over the weekend.

“We are managing the current cases of norovirus with the help of the public, who are following our advice to stay away if they have had sickness or diarrhoea in the last 48 hours. We would also remind people to wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water to help prevent the spread of the illness.

“We are still asking children to stay away from adult wards and restricted visiting hours are still in place at the hospital until all areas affected by the virus have reopened.”

Visiting times have been restricted to all adult wards to 3pm to 5pm and 7pm to 8pm in order to prevent the bug from further spreading.

Only two adult visitors per patient are allowed at any one time and children are not allowed to enter wards unless there are exceptional circumstances.

Those planning to visit a friend or relative in hospital are asked to ring 01223 245151 to check if a ward is affected before arriving at the hospital.

Deputy chief nurse at Addenbrooke’s Lisa Knight said: “We hope people understand that the reason we are putting these restrictions in place is to help protect our patients by stopping the spread of this virus.

“The best treatment for the virus is to rest at home and drink plenty of fluids. In otherwise healthy people, it normally clears up after around 48 hours – but if you are concerned or you have other health problems, speak to your GP or NHS Direct.”