Concerns as Greater Manchester hospitals nearing full capacity

85% capacity is usually cause for concern

Author: Alex UsherPublished 17th Nov 2021
Last updated 17th Nov 2021

Health bosses are concerned about Greater Manchester's hospital capacity as we head deeper into winter.

Although figures are showing that Covid admissions are falling the current bed occupancy is at 93%.

We are being told that 85% occupancy is usually considered a problem.

Manchester City Council Leader, Sir Richard Leese, said:

"93% is very uncomfortable indeed, and that's 93% in November. Those are the sorts of figures that we might expect to see in January or February if we have a bad winter, so there is an awful lot of concern about having sufficient capacity.

"I think we need the public to recognise that we are in unprecedented levels of demand.

"The system is doing everything it can, from beginning to end of the system not just at one particular point to try and free up hospital beds so we do have capacity if we do go into a bad winter."

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There has been a steady rise of hospital within Greater Manchester throughout the year.

The most recent NHS data reveals that in June 2021, Manchester University NHS Trust had a 77% occupancy, and Salford Royal NHS Foundation had a 92% occupancy.

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The NHS was founded on 5 July 1948

As of March 2021, there are a total of 124,078 doctors and 304,542 nurses working in the NHS, with 1,197,747 hospital and community health staff overall.

There are 223 NHS trusts in the UK

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