Hospitals see less Covid cases – but remain ‘very busy’

Hospitals in Grimsby and Scunthorpe are starting to see a reduction in the number of Covid-19 cases – but remain ‘very busy’.

Today (Tuesday) sees 149 coronavirus inpatients across the Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust.

These are 65 at Grimsby, 81 at Scunthorpe and three at Goole, with eight of these people in ICU –  five in Grimsby and three Scunthorpe.

Dr Kate Wood, Medical Director, said: “There is always a time lag between a drop in infections in the community being reflected in a drop in hospital admissions.

“We are starting to see a reduction in the number of Covid-19 positive cases but our hospitals remain very busy.

“Now is not the time to be complacent though and we are reviewing the number of cases on a daily basis.”

Last Monday there were 185 inpatients across the trust in total, including 90 at Scunthorpe and 90 at Grimsby, with six at Grimsby and five at Scunthorpe in ICU.

NHS figures also show North East Lincolnshire’s Covid case rate has reduced to 217 per 100,000, after being at more than 600 early in November. North Lincolnshire has a case rate of 228.

Meanwhile, the hospitals have once again asked people to be patient as they try and communicate with wards.

A spokesperson said: “Please bear with us at this difficult time as we are aware that we are unable to answer phones and communicate with relatives as often or in as timely a fashion as we would like to.

“Staff absences have led to some wards running without reception staff and a reduced number of staff, therefore, patient care is our priority, sometimes not enabling us to get to phones in time.”

They added: “We ask that all communication is channelled through one person – the next of kin – at this time to reduce the number of calls into the wards.

“If you are the nominated next of kin and you cannot get through or get an answer when you call the wards to enquire about your loved one, you can contact the Patient Contact Helpline on 03033 306666 between the hours of 9am and 5pm, seven days a week. Please note, we do ask you still try contacting the ward in the first instance.”