Marlborough.news just received the statement below from Kevin McNamara, Chief Executive of both GWH and the GWH Trust about how the hospital is addressing the current Covid-19 issue and how it can work best for our local community as the Autumn approaches with anticipated potential further increases in Covid-19 infection.
“We are now 18 months into the COVID-19 pandemic, and Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is still facing significant pressures, both due to the extremely high numbers of patients needing urgent and emergency care and a rapid increase in patients needing treatment for COVID-19.
Swindon is currently experiencing the highest case rate of COVID-19 in the south west, with around 450 cases per 100,000 people. Today, we are treating 48 patients with suspected and confirmed COVID-19 at GWH, four of which are currently on our Intensive Care Unit.
Of these patients, many of them have not received either of the COVID-19 vaccinations. The increase we are seeing in ICU admissions is concerning, and in turn puts our theatre lists at risk due to limited bed capacity.
We are also treating far more people under the age of 55 than we ever saw in the first waves of the pandemic. Of the under 55s currently inpatients with covid, 85% of them are not vaccinated and we are currently treating people in ICU who are in their 20s and 30s. We are also seeing an increase in pregnant women testing positive for the virus.
Our urgent and emergency care services are also remaining extremely busy. We are seeing over 350 people attending the Emergency Department and Urgent Treatment Centre every day. Last week, we saw over 1,800 attendances which compares with just 1,436 in the same week in 2019, where we were seeing around 293 people a day, before the pandemic hit.
Whilst many of the people coming to our services do need to be here, some people would be seen much quicker and more appropriately in another healthcare setting, such as through NHS 111, their GP or with a pharmacist. Unfortunately, some of our patients are waiting a long time to be seen in Urgent Treatment Centre, and this can be avoided if you call NHS 111 in the first instance.
We would encourage the local community to help us by thinking about whether hospital is right for you, contacting NHS 111 in the first instance, or considering visiting a GP or pharmacist before coming to hospital. I would also remind everyone to book themselves in for the COVID-19 vaccination as soon as possible.”
Obituary: John Bower
