Greater than half of all sufferers with Covid-19 in hospital trusts in England are being handled primarily for one thing else, PA reviews.
New figures present that of the 13,023 sufferers reported as having the virus on 25 January, 6,767 (52%) weren’t being handled principally for Covid.
That is the very best proportion since these figures have been first printed in June 2021, and is up from 26% at first of December.
In London the determine was as excessive as 64% of sufferers, whereas in japanese England it was 62%. Each the Midlands (54%) and south-west England (51%) have been additionally above 50%.
However different areas in England had barely decrease ranges, with north-east England and Yorkshire at 46%, south-east England 45% and north-west England 43%.
All hospital sufferers who’ve examined optimistic for Covid have to be handled individually from those that do not need the virus, no matter whether or not they’re in hospital primarily for Covid or not.
However the rising proportion of sufferers who’re in hospital “with” Covid moderately than “for” Covid is one other signal that the present wave of the virus has not led to the identical type of strain on crucial care as in earlier waves.
A complete of 501 sufferers in all hospitals in England have been in mechanical air flow beds on 25 January, in contrast with 773 at first of December – and effectively beneath the three,736 recorded on the peak of the second wave on 24 January final 12 months.
Separate figures printed on Thursday present that just about one in 5 sufferers (18%) arriving at hospitals in England by ambulance final week waited no less than half-hour to be handed over to A&E departments.
That is unchanged from the earlier week, however is down from 23% of arrivals delayed for half an hour or extra within the week to 9 January.
About 7% of arrivals took greater than 60 minutes to be handed over to A&E groups – additionally unchanged on the earlier week.
A handover delay doesn’t all the time imply a affected person has waited within the ambulance.
They could have been moved into an A&E division, however employees weren’t obtainable to finish the handover.
Evaluation of the NHS England knowledge by the PA information company reveals that each College Hospitals Bristol & Weston and College Hospitals Plymouth reported the very best proportion of ambulance handovers that have been delayed by no less than half-hour final week (54%), adopted by North West Anglia and Shrewsbury & Telford (each 53%) and Gloucestershire (51%).
Bristol & Weston and Plymouth additionally topped the checklist for the proportion of arrivals that have been delayed by greater than an hour (37%), adopted by College Hospitals of Leicester (33%), Gloucestershire (31%) and North Bristol (29%).
There have been 85,467 arrivals at A&E by ambulance within the week to 23 January, up virtually 2,000 on the earlier week and the busiest seven days because the begin of December, NHS England mentioned.
Ambulance handover delays are more likely to have been influenced by the quantity of sufferers who have been medically match however who weren’t in a position to be discharged.
On common greater than half of inpatients (59%) match to be discharged every day final week didn’t go away hospital, for causes reminiscent of a scarcity of house in care properties or pending an settlement with native social providers over ranges of help.
On 23 January, the latest date for which figures can be found, out of 18,075 sufferers in England who have been medically match to depart, 12,984 (72%) have been nonetheless in hospital.
Saffron Cordery, deputy chief government of NHS Suppliers, the physique that represents well being trusts in England, mentioned the figures confirmed hospitals have been “working underneath sustained strain”, regardless of the current fall within the Covid circumstances. She mentioned:
We proceed to be involved concerning the pressure in pressing and emergency care, with the variety of ambulances arrivals hospitals the very best up to now this winter.
We all know that success in decreasing delayed discharges depends on having sufficient employees to facilitate discharges and help sufferers as soon as they’re able to return residence or to different group settings.
That’s why we’re happy to see that the variety of employees absences as a consequence of Covid-19 is now reducing after the Omicron peak, though it’s vital to recognise that the overall variety of employees absences stays excessive.
A mean of 30,375 NHS employees at hospital trusts in England have been unwell with coronavirus or having to self-isolate every day within the week to 23 January – down 15% on the earlier week, however nonetheless practically double the extent simply earlier than Christmas.
