Coronavirus Kent: 2,000 NHS staff off work due to Covid-19 and hospitals in Kent free up 1,000 more beds for patients
10:04, 03 April 2020
updated: 19:40, 03 April 2020
More than 2,000 NHS staff in Kent are currently off work in self-isolation due to coronavirus symptoms.
Health chiefs say all services in the county have "adequate staffing levels" to keep the most essential care running despite "significant numbers" of people absent.
KMTV reports on the vow to carry out more tests for NHS staff
Staff are either self-isolating after coming down with symptoms or live in a household where another person has developed symptoms of the virus.
The figure represents just under 8% of the NHS workforce in the county but does not include staff in primary care – such as GPs, pharmacies, dentists and optician services.
Meanwhile, it has been revealed more than 1,000 beds in hospitals around Kent have been made available to help treat patients needing urgent treatment for Covid-19.
More than a third of the 2,600 hospital beds in the county have been cleared to make sure wards are prepared to provide specialist care in hospitals.
Last week, KentOnline reported the number of critical care beds would be tripled as NHS bosses prepare for a surge in patients with the disease.
Wilf Williams, accountable officer for the Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), said: "Over the last week all local hospitals have been working with community and social care partners to discharge medically fit patients.
"All hospital trusts have now brought their bed occupancy levels down to around 60%."
The NHS Nightingale Hospital at London's ExCel centre – with 4,000 new coronavirus beds – will be opened today by Prince Charles via video link after Gurkhas from Maidstone helped build the two huge new 2,000 bed wards.
The government has announced four more Nightingale hospitals will be built in Manchester, Birmingham, Harrogate and Bristol.
A new dedicated mental health team to help deal with cases during the coronavirus crisis has also been set up in a bid to reduce the number of patients arriving at emergency departments.
Mr Williams said the Covid-19 response team will develop a 24/7 open access service for crisis teams in partnership with the Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT).
The aim is to reduce demand on the 111 and 999 services as well as lowering the number of people arriving at hospital to limit the risk of spreading Covid-19.
Mr Williams says a support package for NHS staff is also being worked on.
A new central warehouse to distribute personal protection equipment (PPE) to health staff in Kent and Medway is being set up.
Central government and NHS has been under fire nationally for failing to provide enough PPE – scrubs, face masks and gloves – to protect them against patients with the disease in hospitals and GP surgeries.
Community fundraising efforts to buy masks – including one by an Ashford hospital doctor who has helped raise more than £1.3m – have launched around the county.
It was also revealed some surgeries had received "out of date" masks which the NHS had been rigorously tested to extend their shelf-life.
The NHS in Kent says the new warehouse will make sure PPE is sent to staff on the frontline where it is most needed.
Mr Williams said: "We know access to PPE has been a key area of concern. We are working hard to make sure staff on the frontline in NHS Trusts, primary care and other services such as care homes, hospices and home care providers have access to the right PPE for the work they are doing.
"This week we are mobilising a central warehouse to supply all core services across Kent and Medway.
"The service is being managed by CCG staff and is working across health and care partners. Our new approach will bring all PPE supplies into a single point for Kent and Medway and then distributes it locally based on need.
"This will improve the speed of being able to resupply individual services through a local stockpile and prevent a situation of unused stock sitting in one location whilst another runs low.
"We are encouraging all local services to join the central service."
The new centre will also house 200 3D printers to produce protective visors – like those produced by Ramsgate dad Phil Hathaway who has turned his hobby into helping the NHS.
Mr Williams confirmed plans are being developed for staff to get tested for Covid-19 which follows pressure on the government to increase its testing capacity.
Health secretary Matt Hancock yesterday said the UK will be testing 100,000 people a day for Covid-19 – a tenfold increase on the previous daily target.
But staff testing remains a major concern with NHS workers only receiving a test if they have developed symptoms.
Further details about the staff testing scheme in Kent is being worked on and will be announced shortly, Mr Williams said.
He added: "More testing will staff who do not test positive for Covid-19 will be able to carry on providing patient care, whereas otherwise they would be required to self-isolate for seven days."
Mr Williams also confirmed some 42 primary care networks in the county are operating under "hot and cold" services to help separate patients suspected of having the disease and those who are not.
A new drive-thru centre in Whitstable is set to open within days to allow patients to receive treatment from their cars and reduce contact with GPs.
