With more than 40 patients in Newcastle 's hospitals with Covid-19 and the numbers waiting for treatment at the trust creeping close to 100,000, chief executive Dame Jackie Daniel has spoken of the "inherent pressures" linked to the policy of 'Living with Covid'.
As of May 10, the last day full data is available, there were 42 Covid-19 positive patients at the Freeman and the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle. Though this is more than half of the 100 seen at the end of March, it remains a significant strain.
Dame Jackie also said there were, as of last week, "more than 150 staff" away from work due to contracting Covid-19. Adding to the pressure are huge backlogs for elective hospital procedures. The latest NHS England data shows that as of the end of March, there were 97,382 people waiting for NHS treatment at the city's hospitals - of those almost 30% have been waiting for longer than 18 weeks after being referred.
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However, Dame Jackie said the trust had made steady progress reducing the number of people to have been waiting more than a year and more than two years for treatment respectively, explaining there are now only 81 people to have waited more than two years for a procedure. She said the vast majority of these people were expected to be seen before June 1.
Writing online, she added: "The numbers of people waiting over 78 and over 52 weeks is also reducing steadily, and we expect to clear all of our 52 week waits ahead of the targets we have been given in the NHS planning guidance.
"This is a remarkable position to be in and a testament to the hard work of our booking teams, schedulers, secretaries, ward and theatre colleagues across the organisation who are moving mountains to ensure that those with the longest waits are getting treatment as soon as possible."
Dame Jackie's words show that the number of people to have waited more than two years has fallen even compared to March - which is the last month to be covered by official data and saw 113 people waiting. At that time there were also 3,527 people who had been waiting over a year.
Specific areas of surgery such as spinal and ophthalmology contribute most to the backlogs - while the new Day Treatment Centre under construction at the Freeman is hoped to reduce waiting lists rapidly. It should be open around September and will expand surgical capacity.
According to the hospital boss, urgent and emergency care in Newcastle is still "exceptionally busy" - data for April shows close to 20,000 people attended A&E or a Newcastle urgent treatment centre over the month. Dame Jackie said the trust was "actively looking" at how to relieve pressure on services. She added: "We are seeing more people who are very unwell attending the emergency department and although the reasons for this are not fully understood, we know that they are getting good care as our patient feedback and clinical outcomes from ED continue to be outstanding.
"We are under pressure, everyone is working incredibly hard, and patients are receiving the best care we can provide. That hasn’t happened by accident, and I want to pay tribute to the innovation, flexibility and dedication of everyone who has contributed."
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