Bristol hospitals are working on plans to reintroduce services paused because of coronavirus.
Last week whistleblowers at Southmead Hospital and Bristol Royal Infirmary (BRI) claimed zero-hour contract staff have lost almost all their shifts following the cancellation of scheduled surgeries and closure of some wards.
One BRI healthcare assistant said the hospital "cleared the decks" to prepare for an expected onslaught of Covid-19 patients which "didn't happen", leaving some employees struggling for work and earning around £60 a week.
Now Bristol, North Somerset & South Gloucestershire clinical commissioning group (CCG), which runs the two hospitals, has revealed it is working to resume the suspended services.
It has not released the timescale or which services are set to be brought in first, but Southmead Hospital has said clinical activity could increase "over the coming weeks".
And the BRI has said it intends for paused services to be reintroduced "soon".
A Bristol, North Somerset & South Gloucestershire CCG spokesman said: "We are currently working on plans to re-introduce health and care services across the area that have been temporarily paused due to coronavirus.
“The reintroduction of services will be carefully planned to manage demand and ensure that we can continue to respond to coronavirus, keeping both patients and staff safe at all times.
“While some services and non-urgent operations have been temporarily paused, urgent services, operations and cancer treatments have remained in place.
“We would like to remind people that NHS services are still here when you need them, in particular our A&E departments. We are continuing to encourage anyone experiencing a health emergency – such as a heart attack or stroke symptoms - not to hesitate, and call 999 or go straight to A&E.”
Both Bristol's major hospitals have acknowledged "anxiety" among zero-hour contract staff following the loss of shifts.
