INTERESTING NUMBERS NHS WINTER BED CRISIS

NHS trusts had to provide 5,075 extra beds on January 2 to cope with the winter demand, the equivalent of nine average hospitals.

According to a recent study by the British Medical Association, a lack of available beds creates a backlog that often leads to severe delays in emergency departments. According to official data, between 92% and 99.9% of beds have been occupied at the University Hospitals of North Midlands Trust this winter.

Yet even these alarming figures mask the true scale of the pressure that hospitals are facing.