NURSES were facing another night sleeping at Great Western Hospital last night as frontline medical staff prepared for another white-out.

It would have been the second night staff had kipped on beds and spare trollies at the hospital’s training academy to avoid the difficult journey to GWH this morning.

The decision was made by hospital management yesterday afternoon as Swindon braced itself for a dip in temperature up to -7°C and up to 30cm of further snow overnight.

GWH also has a fleet of 4x4 vehicles which will continue to pick up stranded staff and take them to the hospital throughout today.

Teri Stevans, spokeswoman for the hospital, said: “Where the snow prevented many people getting into work yesterday, staff here will still have a job to do so many were happy to stay here on Tuesday night to ensure they were here this morning.

“We’re continuing to assess the weather situation and have made provisions for staff to remain at the hospital overnight.

Miss Stevans added: “We have a dedicated staff here at GWH and many will be walking through the snow to get in for their shifts. GWH won’t grind to a halt because of the snow.”

A&E stayed busy throughout the day dealing with snow-related slips, trips and falls.

GWH has already seen a spike in the number of weather-related injuries since the cold snap hit Swindon, with up to 40 additional patients every day. At GWH, most outpatient and non-urgent operations were cancelled today because of travel difficulties but urgent appointments and cancer-related appointments continued.

Meanwhile hard-working paramedics at Great Western Ambulance Service (GWAS) manage to reach every 999 call across the town, despite the severe weather across the region.

Chief executive David Whiting said: “I cannot praise our staff highly enough. The crews out on the road, control room and support staff have all shown true dedication by getting themselves safely to work and continuing to provide an excellent service.”

While GWAS has not seen an increase in weather-related incidents, staff are still responding to hundreds of 999 calls on a daily basis across Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Avon.

Jonathan Lofthouse, GWAS director of service delivery, said: “Patients are still having heart attacks, strokes and many other medical problems – so the challenge of getting to every patient who needs our help remains. We have 4x4 vehicles working across the GWAS area which is making sure we are able to respond to everyone no matter where they are.”