Public urged to do their bit as Salisbury District Hospital gears up for busy winter
They're already seeing large numbers of patients
As we head towards winter, Salisbury District Hospital are asking the public to do their bit and help ease pressure on the NHS.
With Covid-19 cases rising in Wiltshire, they are already at high levels, and it's likely to only get worse over the last couple of months of 2021.
As of yesterday (Wednesday 27th October), there were 17 positive in patients at Salisbury District Hospital.
Chief Medical Officer Dr Peter Collins says Covid is currently accounting for around 5-10% of their beds:
"The COVID patients that we have are a relatively small number of patients. As a system we currently have about 5 to 10% of our acute bed base filled with patients who have COVID, but that small amount on top of all of the other pressures that we always experience over winter is enough to keep us very busy and of course the impact of COVID on our staff also is an important part of how difficult it is to manage this winter.
"We have incredibly committed staff and they remain centred on patient care and that's what we all come to work for. But it's been pretty tough over the last 18 months and I'm always amazed at the resilience of our staff, both those that are on the frontline seeing patients but also all of those staff that have supported all of the other things that we have to do in hospitals and health care.
"Inevitably the impact that we all feel day to day from a COVID point of view in terms of contacts in our homes that then force us to isolate again and to stop going to work, that inevitably will impact on the number of nurses and doctors we have available day to day and again that adds an added strain. So anything that we can do collectively as a community to reduce the impact of COVID both on our hospitals and on individuals is really important."
Dr Collins says that the added pressure on staff will make this winter another very tough one, but the public can do their bit to help.
He told us that by doing the simple things we can make a big difference:
"I know there's been a big change in government advice, and I think that most people will see health care professionals who are at sharp ends of the impact of COVID still going around wearing masks where they can, particularly in close spaces, because reducing the transmission of COVID remains an important part of helping make sure that we don't get unexpected pressure on our health services.
"So doing the things that I would expect that anybody could and should still do, which is about making sure that they limit their exposure to crowds that they follow government advice and that they wear masks where they can, even though that's not become a personal choice. I think it's an important personal choice."