NHS chiefs have admitted non-urgent surgery is being 'paused' at Fairfield General Hospital due to the rising impact of coronavirus.

Elective surgery at Fairfield General and the Royal Bolton Hospital, among more than a dozen other Greater Manchester sites, will be affected.

Officials from the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership (GMHSCP) insist the move is only temporary.

And it has been confirmed cancer services will continue at The Christie and Rochdale Infirmary.

Admissions due to Covid are said to have risen from 126 on December 19 to 359 on January 2, with in-patient diagnoses increasing from 193 to 738 for the same period.

But health leaders say the main reason behind the pause is rising levels of staff absence with 15 per cent off with Covid or isolating.

A GMHSCP spokesman said: "Our hospitals will be contacting those affected as soon as possible. If you are not contacted then assume your treatment is continuing as planned. There is no need to contact the hospital or your GP practice for this information.

"We understand how disappointing this will be for patients who have appointments or procedures affected, especially those who have already waited some time, and we know people will be worried."

Fiona Noden, chief executive of Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, and co-chair of Greater Manchester Hospital Gold command and lead for elective care in the region, said: "This has been a very difficult decision and not one that we have taken lightly, but we’ve done it so we can keep people safe, can maintain the very best infection control measures, can make sure we deploy staff to where they’re needed most and can keep looking after people who need urgent and emergency care, including cancer treatment.

“We would urge anyone with health concerns to continue to come forward for help and treatment in the usual way, using their local emergency department only for serious illnesses or injuries.

“And we would also ask everyone to keep doing their bit to minimise the spread of the virus – please get vaccinated and boosted, wear a face covering in enclosed spaces, wash your hands more frequently and minimise your contact with people outside your immediate household.”

Other hospitals affected include Manchester Royal Infirmary, Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, University Dental Hospital of Manchester, St Mary’s Hospital, North Manchester General Hospital, The Royal Oldham Hospital, Salford Royal Hospital, Stepping Hill Hospital, Tameside General Hospital, Trafford General Hospital, Royal Albert Edward Infirmary at Wigan, Wrightington Hospital, Wythenshawe Hospital and Macclesfield District General Hospital.