Read our plans to treat Covid-19 patients at the peak of pandemic
We have published our Peak operating plan summary for the Covid-19 pandemic[pdf] 4MB to treat and care for a potentially huge increase in Covid-19 patients at the peak of the pandemic in a few weeks’ time.
The plan involves a major reorganisation of both clinical and support services across our group of hospitals to manage a large influx of infectious patients with this new respiratory illness.
By mid-April, we will be looking after more Covid-19 inpatients, in more beds than we currently in our five hospitals, and moving them more promptly back into the community when they are better. The plan sets out how we intend to:
- Achieve a ten-fold increase in intensive care beds (with ventilators), including using the 14th and 15th floors of The Royal London and supporting the new temporary NHS Nightingale Hospital at the Excel Centre in Newham
- Allocate as many general beds as possible to recovering Covid-19 patients at The Royal London, Newham and Whipps Cross, and work with local partners (including private hospitals) to create extra general beds (eg at Mile End)
- Retrain and redeploy large numbers of clinical staff to care for Covid-19 patients in line with expert advice on clinical management and safe staffing
- Reorganise clinical and support services (including estates, transport, informatics and procurement) to enable a timely transformation to take place
- Maintain critical services like emergency care; plus trauma and stroke at The Royal London; heart attack response at St Bartholomew’s; and paediatric and maternity services at Whipps Cross, Newham and The Royal London.
We have already switched the majority of our outpatient services to be virtual clinics via video or on the telephone, suspended most elective surgery, and redesigned care for vulnerable groups like cancer and renal patients. Teams are also working closely with GPs and community services to support more recovering patients closer to home.
Alwen Williams, group chief executive, said: “I know all of us feel a deep motivation to do everything we can to ensure the NHS does its utmost to respond to these challenges. We have already shown at Barts Health over the last five years that we can achieve great things. These steady and important achievements have left us in a strong position to meet the challenges we now face.
“In times of crisis, our values and our pride in the services we deliver to the public come to the fore and shine through. And in times of crisis, it is even more important that we have a clear plan of action so that all of our efforts can be directed to a common goal. This document summarises the plans we are making at Barts Health, plans we know will need to adapt and change, but plans which I hope will allow us all to succeed in the weeks ahead.”