Surrey hospital warns stopping non-covid patients catching virus could become "impossible"
Critical care pressures have also seen a patient transferred as far as Devon as it was the nearest available ITU bed
Last updated 27th Jan 2021
A Surrey hospital trust has warned it could reach a “tipping point” where it becomes impossible to keep coronavirus and non-coronavirus patients apart.
In a report to be discussed by the Surrey and Sussex Healthcare Trust board tomorrow (28 January), it said East Surrey Hospital had seen a surge in infected patients from around 80 before Christmas to approximately 230 by the end of the first week of January – around half of all adult beds.
Critical Care capacity is also described as stretched as pressures have seen the hospital go from taking coronavirus patients from elsewhere before Christmas, to one having to be taken as far as Torbay in Devon because it was the nearest available ITU bed that day.
The report says that an increasing number of patients admitted to ‘cold areas’ for non-Covid treatment and without symptoms are testing positive.
“These patients then need to be moved to hot areas and any contacts (including patients from the same bay) isolated.
“At some point a tipping point could be reached where it may be impossible to retain hot and cold areas."
It was added that 'Duty of Candour' leaflets were to be distributed to patients alerting them of the risk of infection.
Patients are only being admitted if the risk of not doing so outweighs the risk of contracting Covid-19 in hospital.
There are also concerns about staff capacity of nurses, with absences high due to positive infections or isolations. Often staff are testing positive at the beginning of a shift and being sent home.
The Trust are seeking additional staff “in every way they can” including local advertising, use of student nurses and pleas for recently retired staff to return.
All staff at the hospital are expected to have received their first vaccination by the end of January after jabs began on 4 January.
Michael Wilson CBE, chief executive of Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, said: “We have seen unprecedented numbers of patients with COVID being admitted and requiring critical care.
“Staff continue to pull together to provide safe care and it remains important to inform patients about the risk of infection, the things we are doing to prevent spread and how they can help while in hospital.”