London ICU occupancy rises 183 per cent as significant increases seen across country
Capital’s hospitals now have just one ICU for every four patients
One NHS region now has double the number of critical care patients it did last winter and all areas are more full than last year
HSJ analysis shows.
Show Fullscreen
The East of England’s adult critical care units had an average of 538 total patients, covid-19 and non covid-19, over the seven days to 12 January – 202 per cent of the 265 in the same period last year.
London’s adult critical care units have had an average of 1,280 patients over the past week, 183 per cent of the figure in the same week last year (698). In the South East the latest seven-day average bed occupancy is 161 per cent of last year’s number.
A tired nurse after taking a large number of patients due to the Covid-19 pandemic Source: Ingimage
Nurses are leaving their shifts in tears, feeling scared and exhausted, as they continue to battle the worst surge of Covid-19 yet,
Nursing Times has been told.
The sheer volume of coronavirus patients and numbers being admitted to hospitals across the country means some nurses are at breaking point, fearing there is no end in sight.
“It’s just the sheer volumes of patients that we are seeing and not knowing when it is going to end”
Liz Jeremiah
These were the observations of a critical care sister in the midst of the latest wave and of nurse leaders concerned for the wellbeing of the profession.
Medical staff transfer a patient from an ambulance to the Royal London hospital. Photograph: Hannah McKay/Reuters
NHS bosses are set to cancel urgent surgery across London in a move that could mean cancer patients waiting months for potentially lifesaving operations, the
Observer can reveal.
NHS England chiefs are considering the drastic action because hospitals across the capital are becoming overwhelmed by people who are very sick with Covid-19.
The operations likely to be cancelled, known as “priority two” procedures, mainly involve surgery for cancer where specialists have judged that the patients need to be operated on within four weeks. Any delay could allow their tumour to grow, the disease to spread, or both, thus reducing their chances of survival.
Why tougher Christmas rules are being welcomed by Hull NHS staff
Hull nursing chief Nicki Credland says we could have paid dearly for relaxed Christmas rules
Nicki Credland, senior lecturer at the University of Hull (Image: University of Hull)
Sign up to the Hull Live newsletter for daily updates and breaking newsInvalid EmailSomething went wrong, please try again later.
Sign up here!
When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they’ll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. OurPrivacy Noticeexplains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Medical equipment, perhaps in ventilator in intensive care ICU Source: Ingimage
An investigation into the incorrect placement of nasogastric (NG) tubes found there was “no systemic barriers” to prevent this from happening and that action was needed to improve staff competency training.
Hospital staff informing the inquiry also said that guidance on the insertion of NG tubes was “too long to read”.
“Staff told the investigation they know the guidance is there, but such guidance is too long to read”
HSIB report
The latest report by the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) focuses on the life-threatening risk posed by the accidental misplacement of tubes that deliver food or medication to critically ill patients.