Derriford Hospital has one of lowest percentages of beds occupied by COVID-19 patients
The figures come from NHS England and the Health Service Journal based on the position as of 11 January
Three of Devon’s four hospital trusts currently have the lowest percentage of beds occupied by COVID-19 patients of anywhere in England.
Figures from NHS England and the Health Service Journal based on the position as of Monday (January 11), show that University Hospitals Plymouth (Derriford Hospital) has eight per cent of beds occupied.
The Northern Devon Healthcare Trust, which runs North Devon District Hospital, has the lowest percentage of adult acute beds occupied by COVID-positive patients at just three per cent.
Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust (Torbay Hospital) has just five per cent of beds occupied – they are the only three trusts in England were the number was below 10 per cent.
In contrast, at least 10 hospital trusts of the 123 in England have half or more of their adult acute beds occupied by covid-positive patients, with 45 of them having at least a third of their adult general and acute beds occupied by covid-positive patients.
These findings are based on HSJ’s analysis of NHS internal figures up to 11 January. It covers adult general and acute beds only - not intensive care, where COVID pressure is also very high.
The Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust is currently seeing 17 per cent of its beds occupied, with the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust at 12 per cent.
And as well as the Northern Devon Healthcare Trust having the lowest percentage of beds occupied, it also saw the biggest percentage change based on the previous week, dropping down 11.3 per cent.
Figures for Torbay rose by 1.8 per cent, Plymouth by 6.8 per cent, Cornwall by 6.7 per cent, and Exeter by 2.9 per cent.
At a sustainability and transformation partnership level, Devon as a whole has the second lowest number of beds occupied at 11 per cent, with only Cornwall at nine per cent lower.
But the seven per cent weekly rise in Cornwall was the second highest of any STPs in England, with only the 10 per cent in Dorset higher.
The analysis includes updated figures for the total number of beds at each trust (both occupied and unoccupied), so the share of total beds occupied can fall in past weeks, compared to previous analyses.
Hospitals dealing with covid occupancy of more than 33 per cent are highly likely to be under serious operational pressure.
However, this analysis cannot take full account of factors like cancelling elective care, the way beds are counted and reported, or the concentration of COVID pressure at particular hospitals within multi-site trusts. Nor does it reflect the number of non-COVID patients a trust is treating.