Some hospitals are dealing with double the variety of coronavirus sufferers they handled within the first wave (Image: PA)
Hospitals in south-east England have postponed non-urgent procedures as some face double the variety of coronavirus sufferers they handled in spring.
The NHS in Kent introduced some deliberate operations can be cancelled as a result of ‘improve in Covid sufferers being handled’ final night time.
It comes after the Barts Well being NHS Belief – which serves round 2.5 million folks in east London – mentioned it had moved to the ‘excessive stress’ part of its winter escalation plan.
Each trusts have promised cancer operations and different pressing therapies ‘will go forward as regular’.
New figures present there have been 15,465 coronavirus sufferers in hospital throughout England on December 16 – up from 13,467 every week earlier.
Throughout the first wave of the pandemic, this quantity peaked at 18,974 on April 12.
Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS belief had 221 Covid-19 sufferers on December 16 – round 120 greater than the 98 they admitted in the course of the first peak on April 8.
The NHS in Kent has cancelled some operations as a result of improve in Covid sufferers (Image: PA)
London has the nation’s highest an infection fee however hospitalisations are nonetheless under the primary wave peak (Image: Getty Photographs)
On Wednesday, the East Kent Hospitals College NHS Basis Belief handled 357 folks with coronavirus – virtually twice the utmost quantity that they had at any level in spring. Figures reached 187 on April 20.
The NHS in Kent mentioned: ‘We’re working laborious to make sure we deal with as many sufferers as potential, whereas guaranteeing we offer a protected hospital surroundings.
‘Nonetheless, the rise in numbers has meant troublesome choices to prioritise circumstances of upper urgency.’
‘Circumstances of upper urgency’ embody most cancers operations which they promised would ‘go forward as regular’.
The Barts Well being NHS Belief mentioned: ‘We’re treating excessive numbers of sufferers with Covid-19, and in step with our winter escalation plan we have now moved right into a ‘excessive stress’ part and are taking steps to maintain our sufferers protected.
‘These embody deferring some routine procedures over the approaching days so we are able to redeploy workers and improve the variety of vital care and basic beds obtainable.’
The belief – which operates throughout 4 main hospital websites – mentioned sufferers shall be contacted straight if their elective procedures have to be postponed.
London remains to be properly under its first wave peak of coronavirus hospital sufferers, however NHS trusts are dealing with stress as circumstances improve throughout town.
Some 2,543 sufferers have been recorded within the capital on December 16 – up from 1,787 every week in the past. London noticed 5,201 sufferers in hospital in the course of the first wave peak on April 9.
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