THE worst effects of the fuel famine have started biting into Herefordshire's health services.

From today all routine waiting list surgery at Hereford hospitals has been cancelled so that priority can be given to emergency and urgent cases.

A decision to block the lists has been taken because the management cannot guarantee sufficient staff being available to deal with the workload.

Dr Mike Deakin, emergency co-ordinator of health services in the county, said 'huge efforts' were being made to sustain services.

But he warned that if the fuel shortage continued the situation could become 'very serious' by the weekend, with people in rural areas 'most vulnerable'.

All outpatient clinics are operating normally, but this could change in the next few days.

Arrangements have been for GP surgeries to be supplied with some fuel but it is likely that doctors will not be able to respond to all home calls.

"GPs might have to visit only the most urgent cases," said Dr Deakin.

The same applies to community and district nurses and health visitors. There is no extra fuel for them and they will have to manage with what they have in their tanks.

People in most need will be given priority on the visiting list.

There is, at the time of going to press, no danger of community hospitals closing, but their service levels again depend on staff availability.

The biggest problems will affect people living in rural areas who have to travel distances to visit GPs, clinics and hospitals.

Dr Deakin said the situation is being treated as a 'major incident'.

In Hereford hospitals car sharing between staff was being encouraged, and accommodation made available so that some could stay 'on the spot'.

It is understood that Hereford hospitals and the community hospitals have sufficient fuel for their own uses.