Sheffield hospitals issue update over capacity after rise in Covid-19 patient numbers

The trust which runs the city’s main hospitals, including the Royal Hallamshire and the Northern General, said they are not currently experiencing capacity issues seen in other trust areas.

On Monday (4 January), Michael Harper, chief operating officer at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are currently providing care for 290 patients with COVID-19 and 16 patients are in ITU.

"We have plans in place to manage further increases in demand and we are not currently experiencing the issues with capacity which is happening in other Trusts where case numbers have increased very rapidly in recent weeks.”

Government data shows the number of hospital patients in Sheffield with the illness has risen from 260 on Boxing Day, when 15 people were on mechanical ventilation (a subset of critical care) beds.

Mr Harper added: "We would stress once again how important it is that people follow the hands, face, space guidance and also the rules for the Tier they live in. This is especially important given the emerging evidence about how much more easily the new variant is transmitted.

"These rules do make a difference to whether the virus transmits between people and ultimately impacts on the number of people who become really sick and need our care. It also impacts on our staff, if they become ill with COVID, then they cannot be here to care for you and your loved ones.”

NHS trusts in Kent reported bed occupancy levels in intensive care reaching 137 per cent on New Year’s Day.