SPECIAL surgeries exclusively for coronavirus patients will open across Sussex in a bid to tackle the pandemic’s predicted peak.

Health chiefs have ordered GPs to set up “hot hubs” for Covid-19 sufferers to determine whether they should be sent to hospital.

Doctors will test coronavirus patients’ pulse, temperature and breathing rate at these hubs.

Other surgeries will become “cold hubs” for all other patients in order to prevent the infected from passing on the virus to others.

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Sussex NHS Clinical Commissioning Group, which controls healthcare across the county, has ordered “primary care networks” usually made up of seven surgeries to plan for the move to a two-tier system.

Many GPs have previously complained they have not been given good enough protective equipment to examine coronavirus patients.

NHS England advises only those dealing with confirmed or suspected coronavirus patients should wear the higher standard of equipment including filtration masks, full-body gowns and goggles.

All other healthcare workers including GPs have been given standard face masks and thin aprons.

Brighton and Hove Clinical Commissioning Group said NHS England has sent all surgeries in the city an equipment shipment.

Meanwhile Brighton General Hospital hinted its care services may be affected as the outbreak progresses.

After taking a week to reply to The Argus, a Sussex Community Foundation Trust spokesman insisted all of the hospital’s services are still running.

“While we anticipate how we deliver some services might need to change over the coming weeks as we respond to Covid-19, we want to reassure all our patients, their families and carers, that our priority and commitment will always be to ensuring we are there for the people who need us most,” he said.

“All our services are currently open and our focus is on ensuring we continue to deliver care to the people who need us.”

Five new cases were diagnosed in Sussex, bringing yesterday afternoon’s total to 191.

Three new patients were recorded in West Sussex, where 113 have been diagnosed with the virus.

Meanwhile two sufferers were found in East Sussex, bringing the total to 45.

The number of cases in Brighton and Hove remains at 33.

Another 180 patients across the UK died overnight, a fall from Sunday’s death toll of 209. A total of 1,408 patients have now died.

  • The coronavirus Sussex Crisis Fund has been set up to help those affected by the pandemic. The Argus’s charity and American Express have each donated £50,000 to kick-start the appeal. Grants will usually be for up to £5,000. More information is available at www.sussexgiving. org.uk/apply. To donate visit www.totalgiving.co.uk/appeal/sussexcrisisfund