Covid deaths rise in the Humber while admissions surge in Lincolnshire

Trusts in the Humber Coast and Vale system recorded 43 in the seven days to 8 November, which increased to 81 by 15 November – the seventh highest tally of England’s 42 health systems.

Lincolnshire’s hospitals saw weekly total deaths triple from 11 to 30 over the same period, fifteenth highest in England.

The increase in the HCV system is driven largely by a 171 per cent increase in deaths at Hull University Teaching Hospitals trust, which counted 14 deaths in the seven days to 8 November, rising to 38 in the week to 15 November.

However, two more trusts in the system are also recording relatively high numbers of deaths on an upward trajectory. Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Foundation Trust counted 26 deaths in the week to 15 November, up from 17. And York Teaching Hospitals FT had 17 on 15 November, up from 10.

To the south, the rise in deaths in the Lincolnshire system was driven by the large United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust where deaths increased from 10 in the week to 8 November to 30 by 15 November.

Admissions and occupancy

At a national level there are signs of hospital admissions for covid levelling off, but there is substantial local variation. 

United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust has seen its admissions surge in early November. They increased by more than 200 per cent, with the seven-day total increasing from 60 as of 5 November to 183 on 15 November.

Data also shows hospital-acquired infections increased at the trust from a weekly total of 37 on 8 November to 59 on 15 November. Its bed occupancy rate – the proportion of its beds filled with covid positive patients – was 14.7 per cent, as a seven-day average, on 17 November.

This puts it in the top half of England’s trusts for bed occupancy and is the largest weekly increase in occupancy rate – up 8 percentage points from 6.7 per cent on 10 November. However, the rate is substantially lower than the top trust on this measure, Barnsley Hospitals FT, which had 42 per cent of its bed filled with covid patients as of 17 November.

Hospital admissions remain highest in the North West and North East and Yorkshire, however health systems in the Midlands NHS region are closing the gap on their northern neighbours.

Hospital bed occupancy rates are following a similar pattern. Sandwell and Walsall now have covid occupancy over 30 per cent; and areas including North Staffordshire and Chester are over 20 per cent — as is Kingston in south west London.

Note: Data was missing for the 10 November entries for Barnsley Hospital FT, Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals Trust and East Lancashire Hospitals Trust.