London NHS pressure mounting rapidly. Hospitalised covid patients up 30% in week vs national 4%. At 1,534 yesterday (vs 8k in Jan'21 peak). Covid linked staff absences up 140% from 1,900 Sunday to 4,700 Thurs. Some trusts now having to postpone non essential activity 🧵..1/6
Trusts beyond full stretch doing three things at once, each of which is a massive task by itself. Cope with huge pressure in non-covid care (e.g. urgent care and care backlogs). Exponentially expand booster vaccination campaign, at top speed, working with local govt partners..2/6
And get ready for rapid onset of potentially large numbers of new omicron hospitalised covid patients with very large numbers of staff on omicron related sick absence. Trust leaders, as always, doing all they can to provide best possible care in a very pressured context...3/6
Important to understand it's not just hospital trusts beyond full stretch. Same applies to community, mental health and ambulance trusts too. For example, London Ambulance Service is taking c2,500 more calls a day than it usually does alongside significant staff absences...4/6
Trust leaders tell us the vast majority of hospitalised covid patients in London are not vaccinated, which they find frustrating. Especially since it prevents their trusts from providing the best possible care to all those who need it, covid and non-covid patients alike...5/6
Public in London can help by getting vaccinated as fast as possible. Despite best NHS/local govt efforts, vaccination rates in London worryingly much lower than rest of England. Today's data: 1st dose 68% vs national 89%; 2nd dose 61% vs 82% & boosters 30% vs national 47%. 6/6.
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