Covid: Bournemouth and Poole hospitals declare critical incidents

University Hospitals Dorset said it was maintaining essential services such as A&E and critical care

Hospitals in Bournemouth and Poole have declared a critical incident amid staff shortages and rising pressures due to Covid-19.

Sickness rates among staff at the hospitals run by University Hospitals Dorset (UHD) stood at 6.5%.

On Wednesday morning, Poole hospital had just four free beds and Bournemouth had 25.

Critical incidents are declared when health bosses are concerned they cannot provide priority services.

The trust said it was under "significant" pressure and had started the process of planning for a difficult couple of weeks ahead.

Much of the staff absence is because of Covid or related to the pandemic, such as self isolation or awaiting test results.

The trust said it was maintaining all essential services such as A&E and critical care, cancer and urgent operations, but some routine operations are likely to be delayed.

The hospitals currently have just under 60 Covid patients but predictions could see that rise to well over 200 in the weeks ahead.

There were 1,149 cases of coronavirus per 100,000 people in the Dorset Council area in the week 25-31 December.

For Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole the rate was 1,357 cases per 100,000 people.