Eighteen Covid-19 in-patients at KGH as hospital boss says numbers are 'well below' first wave peak

Simon Weldon was speaking during this afternoon's coronavirus county press conference
Kettering General Hospital. Picture by Alison Bagley.Kettering General Hospital. Picture by Alison Bagley.
Kettering General Hospital. Picture by Alison Bagley.

Kettering General Hospital's Chief Executive has said that the hospital is 'not complacent' about its low levels of Covid inpatients.

The hospital boss, who is also in charge at Northampton General, outlined details of how the two hospitals are coping with their current number of patients during today's (Friday, October 23) weekly Covid press conference.

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However, the Northants Telegraph a hospital source has this afternoon confirmed that the alert level has been raised to three, on a scale of one to four. The Operational Pressures Levels Framework level three is implemented when there has been a 'significant deterioration' in A&E four-hour targets, when ambulance handovers taking less than an hour is 'significantly compromised', when there is 'significant unexpected reduced staffing' numbers or when there are serious capacity pressures on beds.

KGH installed a new block on their carpark during lockdown to help them house their patientsKGH installed a new block on their carpark during lockdown to help them house their patients
KGH installed a new block on their carpark during lockdown to help them house their patients

It follows a plea from Simon Weldon earlier this week for patients to come to A&E alone if they can to help the Rothwell Road site cope with an increased number of emergency admissions.

Hospitals in the north of England have reported that they are once again beginning to feel the strain of the numbers of patients coming through their doors with Covid. But in Northamptonshire, figures are rising more slowly.

Mr Weldon said: "At the moment the hospitals still have very relatively low numbers.

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"There are 18 such persons in Kettering General Hospital and 22 in Northampton which is well below where we were at the peak of wave one.

"We're not complacent about that."

He added that the hospital was experiencing 'continued high levels of occupancy' outside of Covid, adding: "That remains a source of concern."