Hospitals facing 125 bed gap ahead of winter

Both Kettering General and Northampton General are working to address the current projected bed gap of 125 across the hospitals

A county's hospitals are hoping to reduce a bed gap of 125 by bringing forward the opening of a "step-down" facility.

Kettering General Hospital (KGH) and Northampton General Hospital (NGH) raised concerns in the recent board report from the NHS trust which runs the hospitals.

Data also revealed KGH has the second highest amount of handover delays for patients arriving in ambulances waiting for more than 30 minutes to be handed to Emergency Department (ED) teams in the country, while NGH ranked fifth at 70.8%.

In England the average is 36%.

A critical incident was declared on 19 November following three weeks of "significant winter pressures".

The hospitals have opened a "step-down" facility to help ease the bed deficit

The critical incident was triggered by high demand for its services, severe capacity constraints, and pressure on EDs alongside high demand for ambulance services from East Midlands Ambulance Service.

To address the issue for both hospitals, KGH said it has opened the second floor of Spinneyfield, a step-down facility providing 60 additional beds.

Both KGH and NGH outlined measures in their winter plan to tackle the projected 125-bed gap.

Plans include reopening 18 beds in KGH's Thomas Moore Ward, creating a 21-bed medical ward by repurposing an office at NGH, and adding 26 beds on NGH's Spinney top floor.

The report added the hospital would do what it could to ensure the teams could deliver safe care.

The board papers are set to be discussed in a board meeting later.