Pressure on NHS with rise in Covid infections
224 AFFECTED PATIENTS IN THE COUNTY’S
MORE than 220 people are in hospital with Covid-19 in Leicestershire, according to latest figures.
The rise comes amid national increases in the number of cases across England, putting more pressure on the NHS.
The figures, courtesy of NHS England, show that as of last Tuesday, April 5, there were 224 people with Covid-19 in hospital beds at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust.
That number is up four on the previous week’s data (220) and 20 on the fortnight before (204).
Among this latest number is two people who are on mechanical ventilation beds, but NHS England data suggests the new high is still below that of previous peaks in 2022.
In January, there were 268 recorded Covid-19 hospital cases - at a time when numbers peaked nationally. However, while the numbers are not rapidly increasing, they are still rising - a picture that is being mirrored right across the country.
In the week to April 5, there were 16,552 in hospitals with Covid in England, up from 15,411 on March 29 and 13,060 on March 22. It is also close to the previous peak of about 17,000 in mid-January.
The national data also reveals there were 319 confirmed coronavirus patients on mechanical ventilation beds across England.
Separate figures also revealed that the number of Covid-related staff absences at the University of Leicester NHS Trust stood at 681 on April 3 - that’s up from 664 a week earlier and 511 a fortnight previously.
Meanwhile, national figures covering acute trusts showed that about 42 per cent of Covid patients in hospitals were being treated primarily for the virus.
This is down on the more than 60 per cent which was seen at the start of this year.
However, the NHS said patients admitted primarily for other reasons still have to be segregated from nonCovid patients, while the presence of the virus can be a significant factor alongside their main reason for treatment.
NHS Providers, which represents trusts, said the figures added to a concerning picture of long ambulance queues outside A&E departments, high numbers of general and critical care beds occupied, and delayed patient discharges.
Miriam Deakin, director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, said: “When you combine all of these factors, it adds up to a picture of the NHS running hot.
“Trust leaders and staff are working tremendously hard to deliver for patients, including recovering backlogs of care which were exacerbated during the pandemic, but are making slower progress than they would like given urgent pressures and Covid-19 demand.”
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