Trust registers big increase in Covid-positive patients

THERE are more than four times as many Covid-positive patients in South Tyneside and Sunderland hospitals than there were two weeks ago.

Bosses at the NHS Trust that runs both hospitals revealed positive cases on the wards have rocketed due to pressures from the Omicron variant.

The South Tyneside and Sunderland Trust is also facing huge staffing shortages – more than 10% of its workforce is currently unable to work, either because they are have Covid or because they have to self-isolate.

As a result, the Trust said some outpatient appointments and community visits in the coming weeks would be postponed, while “significant staffing challenges” across maternity services meant all South Tyneside and Sunderland patients due to give birth in the immediate future will do so at Sunderland Royal Hospital.

In total, as of January 6, there were 129 people with Covid-19 in hospital. On December 23, two weeks ago, there were 27.

However, hospital bosses said the figure includes so-called “incidental” Covid cases, where patients had attended for other reasons and were found to have the virus when tested by the hospital.

The Trust said this also “reflects the extremely high transmission of the Omicron variant”.

Bosses have also reassured patients “all other services are running as usual” and said people should still attend appointments unless they are contacted and told otherwise.

Dr Shaz Wahid – the Trust’s medical director – added: “It has been an exceptionally busy start to 2022 and our staff have been absolutely fantastic, as they always are, in such difficult circumstances.

“Although we are under pressure, we are coping well and our absolute priority is the safety and wellbeing of patients. We have had to make some changes to a small number of our planned services and we are in touch directly with any patients who are directly impacted.

“Members of the public can really help us at this busy time by using services in the right way. Our Emergency Departments are extremely busy so please only attend if it is a serious or life-threatening emergency and consider points of contact such as 111 online or your pharmacy for advice.”

Other measures taken by the NHS Trust to manage the pressure include redeploying some corporate staff to help their frontline colleagues and suspending visiting to adult inpatient wards.

At the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead, NHS execs revealed “significant pressures” due to Omicron were leading to “ongoing challenges in discharging patients” and ambulances having to queue outside.