CRISIS AS LOCKDOWN 3 BEGINS

PATIENT NUMBERS HIT RECORD LEVELS WORRYING RISE IN CARE HOME DEATHS INFECTIONS SOAR AFTER XMAS BREAK …BUT CLOSE TO 6,000 VACCINATED

Almost half of east Kent’s hospital beds are filled by a patient with Covid-19 as the pandemic continues to put immense pressure on the NHS. England was plunged into its third national lockdown on Tuesday amid fears hospitals across the country could be overwhelmed as they treat record numbers with the virus. The picture is no different in east Kent, where more people continue to die in hospital with Covid-19 than anywhere else in England.

In the last week alone, 82 people with the virus have lost their lives at sites across Canterbury, Ashford, Margate, Dover and Deal – 12 more than at any other trust.

And patient numbers hit 434 on Tuesday, accounting for 42% of hospital beds available and well above the first wave peak of 187.

To cope with the demand, wards have been repurposed to offer additional critical care capacity, with staffing bolstered by an unconnected recruitment drive to fill roles in a new intensive care unit set to open at Ashford’s William Harvey in the spring.

Staff on normal wards are said to be under increasing pressure – particularly at Margate’s QEQM - with Covid forcing many medics to self-isolate. Necessary measures designed to reduce the risk of spreading the virus, such as testing on admission, have also slowed the process of triaging patients from A&E departments onto wards.

As such, two ambulances carrying patients to the William Harvey are reported to have waited four hours outside the hospital, although elsewhere – including 12-hour delays in Medway – the issue is much worse.

A spokesman for East Kent Hospitals said: “The rise in Covid cases is putting hospital services under pressure across the country.

“As per our usual winter escalation plans, we are working together with other trusts in Kent to manage demand and safely look after patients, including opening additional critical care beds.

“We are currently caring for almost 450 people who have tested positive for coronavirus and our hospitals continue to be very busy so we urge everyone to play their part in stopping the spread of the virus by following the Government’s guidance to stay at home.” The east Kent trust is one of the largest in the country, with 695,000 people in its catchment area, so would be expected to have higher Covid-19 patient and death numbers.

But following a steady rise in infection rates across the county last month, it once

We currently have twice the number of Covid-positive patients receiving care in our hospitals than we did in the first wave…

again finds itself with the most deaths in England.

It had previously recorded the highest toll throughout June and July, when in-hospital transmission was said to have been a major factor.

Issues with infection control were uncovered by Care Quality Commission inspectors, who ordered the trust to make urgent improvements. And it appears they have, as the Gazette understands in-hospital transmission is no longer a major factor, with the trust performing comparably well nationally.

The number of Covid-19 patients on a ventilator – now 27 – has also not exceeded

the first wave peak of 35, despite the huge numbers in hospital with the virus. But NHS chiefs across Kent are prepared for the crisis to worsen and have taken a number of steps to ensure hospitals can cope. All pre-planned operations have been cancelled and, at the request of the ambulance service, home births have been suspended.

Wilf Williams, accountable officer for NHS Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “This is the hardest period we’ve seen since the start of the pandemic and we’re incredibly grateful to everyone who is working very hard to manage these challenging circumstances.

“We currently have twice the number of Covid positive patients receiving care in our hospitals than we did in the first wave. “Our hospitals, ambulances, A&ES, community services, 111 and GP practices are experiencing high demand so we’re asking everyone who needs to use NHS services to do so wisely.”