Staffing is 'tight but manageable' at hospital trust serving Hartlepool

The A&E department at Stockton’s University Hospital of North Tees, which serves Hartlepool, was very busy over the New Year weekend.

The trust is reported to have sent a call out to trained clinical staff working in non-clinical roles to help out over the period due to high demand.

Leaders held a meeting in response to the pressures on Tuesday afternoon.

On the back of discussions, a trust spokesperson said staffing was “tight but manageable” for the time being.

Restricted visiting to the trust’s sites was announced on New Year’s Day and will remain under daily review, officials added.

Yet staff absences remain high.

The trust was treating 80 patients with Covid-19 on Tuesday – two of whom are in the North Tees intensive care unit.

This is up nearly fourfold from 22 patients with the virus on Christmas Eve.

Trust officials say most of the patients being treated are unvaccinated.

South Tees Hospitals have also seen a rise in the number of covid patients on wards over the festive period and into 2022.

Christmas Eve saw 48 patients with covid being treated on wards – of whom five were in critical care.

Numbers of covid patients in intensive care have remained largely unchanged with six people now being treated on Tuesday.

However, trust officials say 106 patients are now receiving hospital covid care – more than double the figure less than two weeks ago.