Covid alert to move to highest level five as NHS trusts call for 'immediate and decisive action'

Parts of the health services across the UK are under “immense pressure”, the chief medical officers for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and NHS England’s national medical director Professor Stephen Powis said.

It comes ahead of Boris Johnson's announcement on emergency measures to control the spread of the virus at 8pm.

In a joint statement on Monday evening they said that due to rising cases and without further action there is a risk of the NHS “in several areas” being overwhelmed over the next 21 days.

They said: “Following advice from the Joint Biosecurity Centre and in the light of the most recent data, the four UK chief medical officers and NHS England medical director recommend that the UK alert level should move from Level 4 to Level 5.

“Many parts of the health systems in the four nations are already under immense pressure. There are currently very high rates of community transmission, with substantial numbers of Covid patients in hospitals and in intensive care.

“Cases are rising almost everywhere, in much of the country driven by the new more transmissible variant. We are not confident that the NHS can handle a further sustained rise in cases and without further action there is a material risk of the NHS in several areas being overwhelmed over the next 21 days.

“Although the NHS is under immense pressure, significant changes have been made so people can still receive lifesaving treatment. It is absolutely critical that people still come forward for emergency care. If you require non-urgent medical attention, please contact your GP or call NHS 111.”

An organisation representing NHS trusts in England has warned that a “critical point” has been reached in the coronavirus crisis, with a record high in Covid-19 hospital admissions.

Immediate and decisive action is needed, NHS Providers chief executive Chris Hopson said, ahead of Boris Johnson’s announcement.

Mr Hopson said NHS trust leaders are “clear” Tier 3 rules are “insufficient” and believe Tier 4 rules “appear to just slow down the rate of increase” rather than cut it.

He said they are also concerned about the lag between new tougher measures being brought in, and the impact they will have on admissions to hospital.

The latest NHS England figures show a total of 3,145 admissions in England were reported for January 2, passing the previous peak of 3,099 set on April 1 last year.

The number comprises of all patients admitted in the previous 24 hours who were known to have Covid-19, plus any patients diagnosed in hospital with Covid-19 in the previous 24 hours.

The number of Covid-19 patients in hospital in England stood at 26,626 as of 8am on January 4 – a week-on-week increase of 30%.

Mr Hopson said that, having spoken to trust leaders across the country, coupled with the latest statistics, “it’s clear we have reached a critical point where immediate and decisive action is now needed to stem the rapidly rising rate of infections, hospital admissions and deaths”.

He added: “Hospitals are filling up with Covid patients at a deeply alarming rate. Today’s figures show that, in the 10 days since Xmas, we’ve seen nearly 9,000 more Covid patients in hospital beds.

“That’s equivalent to 18 hospitals full of new Covid patients in just 10 days. Any changes must therefore have a significant impact as quickly as possible. Half measures at this point would be very dangerous.”

He said the new virus variant had “changed the rules of the game”, adding: “We cannot continue on the current trajectory and must react accordingly.”

Appealing for people to follow the rules as they had done in the first lockdown last spring, he described tighter measures as “one more, time limited, push” as the vaccine rollout continues.

He said: “Today’s news on the first Oxford Astra Zeneca vaccine doses being administered provides a really important, positive, context here. This genuinely is one more, time limited, push to get through the next few months”.

At hospitals in Yorkshire and the North East, Covid admissions stood at 2,828, up 16% in a week.

Admissions stood at 6,733 in London, up 36% in a week, while in eastern England the number was 3,623, up 44%.

Figures for the other regions are: south-east England 4,730 (a week-on-week rise of 33%); Midlands 4,499 (28%); north-west England 2,812 (20%); and south-west England 1,401 (27%).