An NHS hospital in a Somerset seaside hotspot has today been forced to stop taking new patients due to ‘a high number’ of coronavirus cases.
Weston General Hospital, Weston-super-Mare, dramatically announced this morning that it could not take any more admissions, including into A&E.
Health chiefs do not know why the hospital has had an influx of Covid-19 cases, with bosses warning all hospitals have ‘frequent’ changes in admissions.
But questions were today asked over whether the blame may lie on crowds who have flocked to the town to enjoy the sun since lockdown was slightly eased.
Thousands of people travelled to the South West and other coastal areas as soon as the government allowed nationwide travel again on May 13.
Weston-super-Mare’s mayor even admitted ‘you can’t rule it out’, when questioned if scores of Britons on the beach were to blame for the surge in cases. Furious Brits warned VE day celebrations on the beach on May 8 were ‘coming home to roost’, and one warned a second wave ‘rolling’ into the South West.
It is not the first time hospitals have been overwhelmed amid the coronavirus crisis, which began to spiral out of control in mid-March.
One NHS hospital in London was forced to declare a ‘critical incident’ early on in the crisis, after running out of intensive care beds. Other hospitals in the capital have allegedly had to turn away coronavirus patients because they were running out of beds, according to staff.
Weston General Hospital in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, has stopped taking new patients due to ‘a high number’ already there with coronavirus
Social media users were quick to speculate the South West will see a surge in cases as a result of the Government loosening lockdown. Pictured: Weston-super-Mare promenade on May 20
Day-trippers headed to Somerset beaches after Prime Minister Boris Johnson allowed the public to travel to other parts of the country for unlimited exercise and sunbathing. Pictured: Sunbathers on Weston-super-Mare beach
Weston General Hospital said today it could not take any more admission including into A&E
The trust said patients will not be accepted from 8am today (Twitter)
Sun-worshippers carried on descending on parks and beaches today, amid an expected 79F heatwave, in rebellion against the Government defending the actions of a senior aide breaking lockdown rules.
The Prime Minister last night said Dominic Cummings would not be sacked over 260-mile trip he took from London to his parents’ home in Durham while he and his wife were self-isolating with coronavirus symptoms, prompting a furious reaction from Britons who have been making huge sacrifices to abide by the restrictions.
NHS figures show the number of patients in hospitals with Covid-19 has reduced as a result of Britain’s lockdown – admissions have dropped 11 per cent in a week.
The South West – which also covers the tourist-hotspots of Devon and Cornwall – has suffered the fewest deaths (1,157) and cases (7,524) during the pandemic.
There have been 114 deaths at University Hospitals Bristol and three at Weston NHS Foundation Trust – which run Weston General Hospital.
The trust said patients will not be accepted from 8am today.
It said there are arrangements in place for new patients to access treatment and care ‘in other appropriate healthcare settings in the area should they need it’.
Dr William Oldfield, medical director at the trust, said: ‘As with any hospital, the number of patients with Covid-19 will frequently change as people are admitted and discharged.
‘We currently have a high number of patients with Covid-19 in Weston General Hospital.
‘Whilst the vast majority will have come into the hospital with Covid-19, as an extra precaution we have taken the proactive step to temporarily stop accepting new patients to maintain patient and staff safety.’
Weston General Hospital is in North Somerset, which has so far had 406 positive COVID-19 test results, according to Public Health England.
It’s fewer than next door Bristol City, with 694 cases, Wiltshire with 523 and the rest of Somerset with 669.
Suspicion of a surge of coronavirus patients in the South West region due to the recent easing in lockdown measures was rife on social media today.
The public are skeptical that VE day street parties three weeks ago may have driven cases up. Typically it would take around 20 days between a person being infected and them needing hospital care.
Others speculate Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s recent loosening of the lockdown, allowing unlimited exercise and sunbathing from May 11, may have led to a wave of new infections in the South West – or could do in the future.
Thousands of people in England flocked to the South West and other coastal areas as soon as they were told they could travel to other parts of the country.
Day-trippers headed to Somerset beaches, including Weston-super-Mare. There was no evidence anyone broke lockdown rules.
But numerous local authorities across the South West urged people not to drive to beaches and beauty spots in fear that large crowds would increase the risk of spreading coronavirus.
Mark Canniford, Lib Dem mayor of Weston and member of North Somerset Council, criticised the ‘total disregard’ for the town’s residents from day-trippers.
Speaking to The Independent today, Mr Canniford said he did not think there was a link between the crowds on the beach and the closure of Weston General Hospital today.
He said it was ‘unlikely’ and ‘too soon’ for any cases to have shown up. But he admitted ‘you can’t rule it out’.
‘We have been behind the curve on the virus so we could just be catching up,’ he said.
Numerous local authorities across the South West urged people not to drive to beaches and beauty spots after the lockdown was eased by the PM
Suspicion of a surge of coronavirus patients in Somerset due to the recent easing in lockdown measures was rife on social media today
‘The people you see roaming about don’t tend to live here. People should not be roaming around. It’s not fair to the communities they are roaming to. People seem to think they don’t have symptoms so they’re ok but it’s not.’
There are currently 8,951 people in hospital with COVID-19 across UK hospitals, with admissions slowing in the past few weeks after the peak of the crisis in mid-April.
Some areas have recovered quicker than others, graphs show. London has seen a more drastic decline in hospital patients than the South West and East of England.
Dr Oldfield suggested it was normal for hospitals to see changes in the number of COVID-19 admissions.
But only one other hospital has had to respond to the crisis with drastic measures – and that was in London back in March.
Sunbathers enjoy the hot weather at Weston-super-Mare and groups gather for fish and chips, May 20
Weston General Hospital is in North Somerset, which has so far had 406 positive COVID-19 test results. Pictured: People on Weston-super-Mare beach on May 20
Mark Canniford, Lib Dem mayor of Weston and member of North Somerset Council, said he thought it was ‘too soon’ for the loosening of lockdown to be showing new cases of coronavirus, but admitted it couldn’t be ruled out
Sun-worshippers carried on descending on parks and beaches today, amid an expected 79F heatwave, in rebellion against the Government defending the actions of a senior aide breaking lockdown rules. Pictured: Thousands of people rushed to Bournemouth beach in Dorset today
Sunbathers enjoy the hot weather today on the beach by Boscombe Pier in Dorset, following the Government defending senior aide Dominic Cummings over breaking lockdown rules
Northwick Park Hospital, in Harrow, north-west London, declared a ‘Critical Incident status’ because there was not enough space for patients requiring critical care.
Queen Elizabeth Hospital and University Hospital Lewisham, which are run by the same trust on the south-east side of the city, were also unable to admit all critically ill patients to intensive care at the time, the HSJ journal reported.
Dr Oldfield said the situation at Weston General Hospital was ‘under constant review’.
He said: ‘This is a clinically led decision and we are being supported by our system partners to ensure that new patients receive the care and treatment they need in the appropriate setting, and we are continuing to provide high-quality care to existing patients who are being treated in the hospital.
‘We have a robust coronavirus testing programme in place for patients and staff to identify cases quickly, with appropriate measures taken by clinical teams as required.’
The number of patients in hospitals with COVID-19 has been steadily dropping, reducing by 11 per cent in the past week