Leeds hospital cancels operations as Covid patient numbers jump 30%

One of the largest NHS trusts in England has become the latest to announce it is being forced to cancel operations for patients after the number of coronavirus patients jumped 30 per cent over the weekend.

Bosses at Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust have warned staff the numbers of Covid patients are near the peak of the first wave earlier this year, with the overall numbers of all patients in hospital higher than the spring, adding pressure on the hospital’s ability to cope with increasing numbers needing a bed.

The hospital has warned the numbers of patients it is treating with the virus is expected to rise further in the next two weeks with more operations likely to be cancelled.

Hospitals across the northeast and Yorkshire region have begun to report a surge in admissions during the past week with parts of the region also having some of the highest Covid-19 infection rates in the country.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust, which runs St James’s Hospital and the Leeds General Infirmary, is only the latest hospital to announced closures, with Mid Yorkshire Hospitals Trust and Rotherham NHS Trust confirming cancellations on Monday.

According to the latest daily data on coronavirus infections, the northeast and Yorkshire NHS region had 1,962 patients in hospital with Covid-19 on Monday, an increase of 47 per cent on a week earlier.

There were 277 patients admitted to hospitals across the region on Saturday with almost 140 patients on ventilators to help them breathe on Monday.

In a message to staff on Monday, shared with The Independent, deputy chief medical officer for the Leeds trust, David Berridge said: “Over the weekend and continuing today, our hospitals are under significant pressure due to the steep rise in patients testing positive for Covid-19.”

He said there were 239 patients with the virus in hospital on Monday with 25 in critical care. On Friday the trust had just 184 patients, showing numbers had jumped almost 30 per cent in just three days.

He added: “These numbers are close to the peak seen in the first surge and prevalence data indicates it may continue to rise for at least another one to two weeks. Our currently overall bed occupancy is far greater than in the first wave so there is very significant pressure on our inpatient capacity.”

He said the trust was working to open up extra beds for Covid-19 patients but added: “Unfortunately, as a result, we have had to cancel some operations and expect this to continue throughout the week due to pressures on beds in all area of our hospitals.”

He also warned that the city was likely to have to move into the higher tier three level for Covid-19, with discussions ongoing between the government and local council.

He urged hospital staff to follow the rules on social distancing both inside the hospital and outside.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals was approached for comment.

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