Fewer hospital beds occupied during early days of pandemic
The number of occupied hospital beds in the Black Country and Staffordshire dropped sharply during the early months of the coronavirus pandemic, new figures reveal.
Medical experts say a decrease in bed occupancy across England was partly driven by hospitals discharging patients and cancelling planned treatment to free up capacity to deal with Covid-19.
But they also raised concerns about the potential impact on patients who put off seeking help due to the fear of catching the virus.
NHS data shows there were just 488 overnight stays recorded at the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust between April and June, down 797 in January and March – a decrease of 39 per cent.
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At the Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, there were just 421 overnight stays recorded between April and June, down from 617 between January and March. It was a decrease of 32 per cent.
There were 863 overnight stays recorded at the University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust between April and June, down from 1,260 between January and March – a decrease of 32 per cent.
Factors
At the Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust there were 319 overnight stays recorded between April and June, down from 465 between January and March. It was a decrease of 31 per cent.
Data shows there were 449 overnight stays recorded at the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust between April and June, down from 603 between January and March – a decrease of 26 per cent.
The average in England saw the figure fall 31 per cent to 76,300 – the lowest number on record.
Dr Nick Scriven, a former president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said the emptying of wards was due to several factors, including hospitals discharging patients and cancelling planned admissions.
He added: "As well as this was the well-documented move by people in general to avoid coming to hospitals at all costs, often to their detriment.”
Sarah Scobie, deputy director of research at the Nuffield Trust think tank, said the drop in numbers could be partly down to fewer people needing emergency care due to lockdown restrictions. But the impact on patients who avoided seeking treatment due to fear of infection was yet to be seen, she said.
Ms Scobie added: “We will see bed occupancy begin to creep back up, but it will take time as the NHS is slowed down by Covid-secure and infection control measures to protect both patients and staff.”
