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MP Ben Bradshaw hopes that Exeter and the rest of Devon and Cornwall will avoid being placed on Level 3, despite increasing pressure from Covid on Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital.
The first Covid-19 patients are being transferred from the RD&E to the 116-bed NHS Nightingale Hospital in Sowton this morning.
The Exeter Labor MP says being placed at the highest level would be “unfair” to the local community despite pressure from the hospital.
He said there is “a problem with the Covid infection within the RD&E” and that the hospital faces greater pressure now than in the first wave.
“Local NHS chiefs have wanted to do this for weeks due to increasing pressure from Covid within hospitals, but they did not have the staff to do it,” Bradshaw said.
“Six and a half percent of my local hospital staff are out right now because they have Covid or are self-isolating.
“So I am very happy that the local NHS has managed to find the staff for the staff of this hospital. [NHS Nightingale Exeter] to ease pressure from RD&E and other local hospitals in Devon that are experiencing a worse spike now than in the spring.
“We have about 125 Covid patients at Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, five full wards, there is a problem with Covid infection inside the hospital.
“One of the reasons the hospital is very interested in bringing Covid patients to Nightingale is not only to address that issue, but also to help ease pressure on other services that have been suspended.
“Elective care has been suspended at this time due to pressure.
“Fortunately, we are not seeing the same level of deaths and the need for intensive care as in the first wave, but the pressures are greater now than in the spring.”
When asked if Exeter and the rest of Devon could be placed at Level 3, the highest possible level, Bradshaw said: “I hope not.
“If you look at the headline figures for Exeter and the wider Devon area, they are very low – half the UK average and going down.
“It would be extremely unfortunate if due to the strong pressures in one or two hospitals we are not at the level where we should be.
“If there is any place on Level 1, then it should be parts of the Southwest.
“But again, our level shouldn’t be skewed by local capacity issues at certain hospitals. That would be very unfair to the rest of the county.”
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