Sheffield Hospitals braced for coronavirus 'peak' as Trust warns 'we're not yet on a downward trend'

In a major update on its Facebook page, the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said it predicted an ‘increase’ in virus case rates over the coming weeks after the death toll rose to 150.

The Trust also outlined its plans to tackle an influx of cases, including raising its critical care ‘ventilated’ bed count from 35 to 250 and increasing capacity to undertake up to 1,000 tests a day.

A spokesperson for the Trust said: “Last week we saw a drop in the number of patients in ITU and a slight decrease in the number of positive patients in general but we are not yet on a downward trend.

“The consensus seems to be that we are seeing a slight slowing of the virus spread as a result of social distancing, which makes it all the more important we all continue to stick to the current rules about not going out unless it is essential.

“Despite the slowdown we are mindful that we have still not hit the peak of the pandemic in our region and current predictions are that the number of positive cases coming into our hospitals will increase in the coming weeks.

“We had already planned for the numbers expected and so we are ready.”

The Trust said that while some services will be reduced amid the pandemic, urgent services that support cancer, patients on renal dialysis, essential diagnostics and district nursing are continuing- and that hospitals were open for emergency care as normal.

The Trust also said it was aware of concerns surrounding the availability of PPE up and down the country, and reassured residents that: “In line with national guidance you will see all our clinical staff wearing, as a minimum, gloves, a plastic apron and a surgical mask across our acute and community services. In our high risk areas you will see staff in additional protective clothing and face shields.

“In the last week alone we have purchased even more additional protective equipment for our staff and we are monitoring stock levels 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”

The Trust went on to praise its 17,500 staff working ‘tirelessly’ to support patients in hospital and in the community: “We cannot put into words how incredible every single one of our colleagues who work across the Trust has been in terms of going the extra mile to make sure we can deliver what is needed during this unprecedented time.

“Not just our clinical teams but the many thousands of colleagues working tirelessly to support the clinicians in the background. Every single person is making a difference which is invaluable in terms of how we respond to this pandemic.”

More to follow.

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