More than three-quarters of all major hospital trusts in England are currently reporting fewer Covid-19 patients than at their second-wave peak, new analysis shows.
In some regions, such as eastern and south-east England, all but one trust has dropped below the level seen at the peak of the second wave of the virus.
The proportion of trusts still reporting a record number of Covid-19 patients is slightly higher in north-east and north-west England, however.
The analysis by the PA news agency found that of 140 acute hospital trusts which reported figures for January 26, 122 – or 87% – had fewer Covid-19 patients than at their second-wave peak.
Trust has postponed some of its less urgent surgery
Most other urgent cancer surgery continuing in South East
A specialist trust has freed up 29 theatre sessions a week so cancer surgery from nearby providers can continue during the covid pandemic.
Surgeons from six other trusts across the South East are working with Queen Victoria Hospital Foundation Trust’s theatre teams to offer cancer patients breast, head and neck, and maxillofacial surgery.
The West Sussex trust, which specialises in burns care, reconstructive surgery and rehabilitation, offers some cancer services and provides breast reconstruction surgery rather than mastectomy. It has postponed some less urgent surgery to allow the cancer work to go ahead.
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The NMC has been rolling out a new approach to FtP since 2018 after a public consultation showed support for change.
Among the aims of the reform was to ensure concerns about registrants could be resolved earlier and for remediation to be encouraged, Ms Sutcliffe told the committee meeting today.
She said the regulator wanted to “move away from the adversarial process which causes harm for our registrants, but also has a real deep impact on those women and families going through the process”.
As part of this, she said the NMC was concentrating on “helping employers to focus on what they can do better at a local level” when concerns about staff came to the fore.