Nurses can now treat more than one virus patient at a time to relieve pressure on NHS
NURSES will be permitted to look after two Covid patients at the same time in a bid to relieve strain on hospitals, NHS bosses have ruled.
NHS England has decided to temporarily relax the 1:1 rule amid rising numbers of staff forced off sick with the virus or told to self-isolate. The number of people sick with Covid has risen to 11,514, of whom 986 are on a ventilator, according to the most recent figures.
NHS England has agreed the decision with the British Association of Critical Care Nurses, which represents specialist intensive care staff, according to The Guardian.
Yesterday, a Lincolnshire hospital trust became the first during the second wave to declare a major incident after a surge in patients needing oxygen.
Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which r uns hospitals a cross Grimsby, Scunthorpe and Goole, said it was struggling with staff shortages after dozens of nurses and doctors were ordered to self-isolate.
North East Lincolnshire is one of the worst affected areas in the country with 106 coronavirus patients being treated in the area’s three hospitals.
Dr Kate Wood, medical director, said: “I can confirm that the Trust has enacted its major incident plan due to the demands on our oxygen supplies.
“To keep patients safe, we have had to reconfigure a number of wards and move patients within the hospital overnight. We have also put a call out for additional nursing staff.”
The trust said 56 Covid patients were being treated at Grimsby’s Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital, 47 at Scunthorpe General Hospital and three at Goole: the first time there has been more than 100 Covid patients over the three hospitals. Six others are being treated in intensive care units in Grimsby and Scunthorpe.
The trust reported another five deaths yesterday – two on Friday, and one each on the three preceding days.
It comes amid rising pressure on hospitals, with routine surgeries suspended across Greater Manchester over the weekend.