The number of patients so seriously ill they need to be placed on a ventilator has risen rapidly in the last week in England and Scotland.
Deputy chief executive of NHS Providers Saffron Cordery said the number of patients in hospital on ventilation beds has gone up by 41% in the last week.
There are a total of 229 patients in ventilated intensive care beds in England and 18 in Scotland. Wales only has one patient in a ventilated ICU bed while Northern Ireland has none.
“Trusts on the front line are really coming under huge pressure … they have plans in place to tackle the backlog, but with more Covid cases and demand for emergency care going up, that’s really challenging,” she told BBC Breakfast.
She added: “If we look at the recent stats, the number of people of ventilation beds has gone up 41% in the last week, so that’s a really strong indication of how Covid is impacting again.
“We are really worried that if we have a further surge over winter alongside all of those usual elements that we see in winter – like flu and respiratory viruses – we are going to face a significant challenge.
“I think we need to look at this sudden rise in the demand for emergency care as well, so you know we are seeing record levels of demand for that kind of care.”
