Hospitals have been told to cancel non-urgent surgery and free up beds as they prepare for large numbers of Covid-19 patients.

In a letter to senior managers and hospital trusts, NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens and NHS chief operating officer Amanda Pritchard said the health service will “come under intense pressure” when the virus peaks.

It said important measures are needed to “free up the maximum possible inpatient and critical care capacity; prepare for, and respond to, the anticipated large numbers of Covid-19 patients who will need respiratory support; and support staff, and maximise their availability”.

The letter said the aim is to expand critical care capacity to the maximum and “free up 30,000 (or more) of the English NHS’ 100,000 general and acute beds”.

READ MORE: Norfolk hospital confirms it has five cases of coronavirusHospitals are told to assume they will need to postpone all non-urgent operations from April 15 at the latest, “for a period of at least three months”.

But emergency admissions, cancer treatment and other clinically urgent care should continue unaffected, the letter said.

Hospitals should also “urgently discharge all hospital inpatients who are medically fit to leave”.

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn said that “only surgery relating to cancer or clinically-urgent cases will go ahead as planned”.

A statement from the hospital said: “We will rearrange operations as soon as possible and apologise to patients for any inconvenience or distress this causes.”

The document says the NHS is in the process of “block-buying” capacity in private hospitals, which should be completed within a fortnight.

READ MORE: Number of confirmed UK coronavirus cases increases by 407“Their staff and facilities will then be flexibly available to you for urgent surgery, as well as for repurposing their beds, operating theatres and recovery facilities to provide respiratory support for Covid-19 patients.”

Community health providers and social care providers are also being asked to free up beds that could be used flexibly, the letter went on.

The document says that centrally there is adequate supply of protective equipment for staff but “locally distribution issues are being reported”.

More staff will be needed to support patients with respiratory needs and “refresher training for all clinical and patient-facing staff must therefore be provided within the next fortnight”.

The NHS will also test any staff with symptoms who would otherwise need to self-isolate for seven days.

Pregnant workers or others at increased risk may need to work remotely or move to a lower risk area, the letter said.