Covid: Low uptake of jab causing 'crisis' at NHS trust

Richard Beeken said anyone who has not had a vaccine is at "increased risk of getting very ill"

A health boss says his hospitals are in "the teeth of a growing local crisis" over low uptake of the Covid jab.

Richard Beeken, chief executive at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, said it had 60 coronavirus inpatients, eight of whom were "critically unwell".

In a letter to staff, he said it was vital people had the vaccination to boost their protection.

But following 600 calls to under-40s to encourage jabs, he said, fewer than 10 agreed to appointments.

Mr Beeken wrote that intensive care units were full and urgent cancer surgery was "under threat" due to Covid pressures faced by the trust.

The internal communication, seen by the BBC, suggested part of the issue was down to a "deprived and diverse population who have a very high vaccine hesitancy".

The trust runs City Hospital in Birmingham and Sandwell General Hospital, in West Bromwich.

Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust controls City Hospital in Birmingham and Sandwell General Hospital

According to latest government figures, the Covid-19 infection rate in Sandwell rose to 358 per 100,000 people in the seven days up to and including 8 July, while in Birmingham it was 386.

Anyone who was unvaccinated, Mr Beeken said, had "no protection" and was at "increased risk of getting very ill as a result".

He said in his letter that among patients was a 32-year-old woman who was "very unwell".

"She wishes she'd had the vaccine but hadn't got round to it," he said.

"This is extremely sobering. Don't let this be you or those you care about."

Analysis

Michele Paduano, BBC Midlands Today health correspondent

Although parts of the region are fine, there is a real headache getting people to take up the vaccine in parts of West Birmingham, Walsall and Wolverhampton.

In fact, Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals have only managed to vaccinate 81% of their own staff - despite their best efforts.

It is likely therefore that more people will become ill in these concentrated areas and they will be sicker than people who have had two doses of the vaccine.

A snapshot of three days at A&E in Wolverhampton also showed 60% of patients hadn't been vaccinated.

Enormous efforts have been made to take vaccines out to communities with buses etc, but public health officials are at a loss as to how to persuade certain groups to get vaccinated.

In his communication, Mr Beeken said while the UK "as a whole" appeared to have "broken the chain between Covid and hospital admission", some areas, where vaccination rates were poor were "starting to feel the downward pressure of urgent admissions rising".

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Mr Beeken thanked staff for their "continued efforts" and said he was "proud" of their work.