Wards 100% full as flu and norovirus hit hard
HOSPITALS already bursting at the seams face a “perfect storm” because of the big freeze.
Bed occupancy was at a new high before the snow hit, after a new bout of norovirus and the worst flu outbreak this decade.
In the week to Sunday one trust in seven was 100% full on at least one day with wards at average 95.2% capacity. The recommended maximum is 85%.
An NHS spokesman said: “Dedicated NHS staff continue to work hard in the face of a perfect storm. We ask patients and families to bear with us.”
The Royal College of Nursing said the blizzards were “piling extra pressure on” the NHS and Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth demanded ministers spell out what extra help it would get to cope.
Paediatric nurse Lisa Gerrett, 38, of Chester-le-Street, Co Durham, was among staff who slept overnight on wards at Sunderland Royal Hospital to be sure she would be at work today.