UK hospital’s oxygen supply at ‘critical level’ as Covid-19 patients soar

An NHS hospital’s oxygen supply has reached a “critical situation” as staff treat a rising number of Covid-19 patients.
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An NHS hospital’s oxygen supply has reached a “critical situation” as staff treat a rising number of Covid-19 patients.

Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust said in a letter to staff that the amount of oxygen used to treat patients at Southend Hospital should be reduced.

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It comes as NHS leaders warned that supplies had run low in other areas.

A patient is brought into the Royal London Hospital, in LondonA patient is brought into the Royal London Hospital, in London
A patient is brought into the Royal London Hospital, in London

The Southend document, shown to the BBC, said: “We have reached a critical situation with oxygen supply.

“It is imperative we use oxygen safely and efficiently.

“All patients should have a target saturation of 88–92%. Patients with a saturation above 92% which are on oxygen should have their oxygen weaned within the target range.

“I can assure all that maintaining saturations within this target range is safe and no patient will come to harm as a result.

“It is imperative that this is acted on immediately.”

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Yvonne Blucher, managing director of Southend Hospital, said: “We are experiencing high demand for oxygen because of rising numbers of inpatients with Covid-19 and we are working to manage this.

“The public can play their part by staying home and, where they cannot, following the ‘hands, face, space’ advice to cut the spread of the virus.”

Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents hospital trusts in England, said there was “huge pressure” on stocks because giving patients extra oxygen was a “key part” of coronavirus treatment.

He told the BBC there were a number of hospitals where this happened in the first phase of coronavirus and over the past few weeks “similar things have happened” elsewhere.

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“This is the kind of problem that chief executives and trust leadership teams are having to solve day in, day out,” he said.

“If you (a hospital) push your oxygen to an absolutely critical level, then the thing that you can’t do is have the oxygen system break down… so effectively you will have to dial it down, in which case you will probably have to transfer patients to the nearest neighbouring hospital for a short period of time.

“I cannot tell you how much work has been done over the summer and autumn to ensure that people (hospital trusts) have been prepared for this… they knew they would come under pressure if there were to be further waves, as has now proved to be the case.”

Dean Burns, an emergency and critical care medicine consultant, said on Twitter: “I know it’s logistically very difficult indeed, but the failure of most acute Trusts to upgrade ancient oxygen piping wholly unsuited to modern O2 delivery devices, will cost lives. Surprised there wasn’t a hyper-focus on this issue over the summer months.”

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Essex has some of the highest Covid-19 case rates in the country.

In the seven days to January 4, Southend had a rate of 1,234.7 new cases per 100,000 people, with 2,261 new cases recorded.

The first NHS doctor to die after contracting coronavirus, Dr Habib Zaidi, died at Southend Hospital in March last year.

The GP, who worked in Leigh-on-Sea, was 76.

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