More than 1,000 NHS staff off with Covid in Devon

Dr Paul Johnson told a local leaders meeting more than 1,000 NHS staff are off work due to Covid-19

More than 1,000 NHS staff are off work in Devon as a result of "Covid related problems", a health boss has said.

Dr Paul Johnson, from the NHS Devon Clinical Commissioning Group said a recent increase in cases across the county is impacting the health service.

However, he said it was not leading to a rise in the number of people getting seriously ill with coronavirus.

There are about 230 people in hospital with Covid-19, but few need intensive care, a Team Devon meeting heard.

Patients are also having to be moved to cohort wards, a ward for people with the same infection, because they test positive, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) reported.

This means that giving certain patients specialist nursing and medical care "becomes more difficult', he said.

Delayed discharges

The number of beds available has been reduced due to infection contacts, Dr Johnson added at the monthly Team Devon meeting of local leaders.

"At the moment, there are over a thousand staff in the NHS in Devon who are off because of Covid-related problems."

People have also been"delayed in their ability to be discharged" - especially when waiting for a care package, he said.

Only four patients with coronavirus need intensive care, compared to about 10% at the height of the pandemic, said Dr Johnson.

This "good news" does not seem to be making people seriously ill and it is "testament to the effectiveness of the booster vaccine", he added.

Despite the end of legal Covid-19 restrictions in England, the public is still being urged to wear masks, wash hands and maintain distancing in healthcare settings.

In addition, people are expected to not attend hospital appointments if they have any symptoms.

Last week, people with Covid symptoms were being asked to not visit patients in Devon hospitals.