Taken directly from BMJ news
- Overall, 83.8% of the 123 707 beds available overnight were occupied between April and June this year, show bed occupancy rates data from NHS England.
- 82 trusts exceeded the 85% rate which is generally considered to be the limit at which hospitals are able to work safely and effectively.
- 35 of these trusts had reached occupancy levels above 90%, while six trusts reached levels above 95%.
- “Hospitals will experience capacity pressures at lower overall occupancy rates than would previously have been the case.”
- NHS has lost more than 4500 general and acute beds compared with before the pandemic, because of the need for stringent COVID-19 infection control measures.
Read full article: https://www.bmj.com/content/374/bmj.n2079.full
Read related: https://www.bmj.com/content/374/bmj.n2079/rapid-responses
Reference:
O’Dowd A. Hospital bed occupancy rates in England reach dangerously high levels. BMJ. 2021 Aug 20;374:n2079. doi: 10.1136/bmj.n2079. PMID: 34417251.
