Number of Covid patients in Shropshire hospitals rising again after fall
The number of beds occupied by Covid patients at Shropshire’s main hospitals has dropped since last month – but figures are showing a recent rise.
Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) was caring for 57 coronavirus patients in Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Telford’s Princess Royal Hospital on December 15, the latest NHS England figures show.
It was up from 51 on the same day the previous week, but numbers have reduced compared to last month when there was a peak of 84 Covid patients being looked after in beds at SaTH on November 20.
The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital, near Oswestry, was caring for one coronavirus patient as of Tuesday last week – the same as the previous week and numbers had fallen from four beds being occupied by Covid-19 patients four weeks earlier.
Numbers of Covid patients have also decreased at Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust, which runs community hospitals in Bishop’s Castle, Bridgnorth, Ludlow and Whitchurch.
The trust was caring for six coronavirus patients on December 15, down from 12 on the same day the previous week.
The number of beds occupied by people who tested positive for Covid-19 have fallen by 65 per cent at the community trust in the last four weeks.
As of December 22, 292 people had been confirmed to have died with coronavirus at hospitals in Shropshire.
Of these, 270 patients have died at SaTH, 17 at the community trust and five at the Orthopaedic.
Across the West Midlands
Meanwhile hospital trusts in the Black Country and Staffordshire were caring for more than 870 Covid-19 patients in hospital in the latest NHS England figures.
The University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust, which runs County Hospital in Stafford and Royal Stoke University Hospital, was treating 333 coronavirus patients.
While the Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust was caring for 178 Covid-19 patients in hospital – down from 186 on the same day the previous week. The number of beds occupied at the trust by people had tested positive for the virus had decreased by 22 per cent in the last four weeks.
At the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Russells Hall Hospital, there were 141 coronavirus patients – up from 129 the previous week. While the number of beds occupied by people who tested positive for Covid-19 at the trust remained unchanged in the last four weeks.
The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust was caring for 129 Covid-19 patients – up from 119 the previous week. The number of beds at the trust occupied by people who tested positive for Covid-19 decreased by six per cent in the last four weeks.
And at the Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, there were 93 coronavirus patients being cared for as of December 15 – down from 104 on the same day the previous week. The number of beds at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust occupied by people who tested positive for Covid-19 decreased by 36 per cent in the last four weeks.
Across England there were 15,031 people in hospital with Covid as of December 15, with 1,159 of them in mechanical ventilation beds. The number of Covid-19 patients hospitalised has increased by four per cent, while those on mechanical ventilators has decreased by six per cent.
