Trust leaders worried about impact of 'staycations'

30 May 2021

The chief executive of NHS Providers, Chris Hopson, was interviewed on BBC Breakfast News this morning. Summary comment below:

"The good news from the 'hotspot' areas is the number of people being admitted to hospital with COVID-19 is much lower than it was at earlier points in the pandemic.

"We also know they tend to be younger and there's less need for critical care.

"There are very few who've had the double dose vaccine. The message couldn't be clearer – if you're eligible please get vaccinated.

"But hospitals are really under pressure at the moment.

"They're working full pelt to deal with the backlog of treatment, focusing on the most urgent, and often the most complex, cases.

"They're working full pelt to deal with the backlog of treatment, focusing on the most urgent, and often the most complex, cases.

"They're also seeing growing demand for urgent care, possibly because people who've held off getting treatment are now coming in.

"Given these pressures, even a small increase in COVID-19 patients makes a big difference.

"Trust leaders in popular holiday areas are concerned about the impact of 'staycationers' in the coming months, creating significant extra demand when they're already at full stretch.

"Looking ahead to 21 June and the question of relaxing restrictions we need an informed evidence-based debate on the trade-offs that will have to be made."