Southend Hospital staff asked to cancel holidays

Southend University Hospital is appealing for staff to cancel leave and return to work to help cope with rising demand

A hospital has asked staff to cancel holidays as it was facing an "increasingly difficult situation".

The email request from bosses at Southend University Hospital, seen by the BBC, cites growing pressure.

Hospital managers said "this is not a request we are making lightly".

Latest government figures recorded 549 Covid-19 patients at the three hospitals run by the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust; the highest total since the start of the pandemic.

As well as Southend, the trust runs Basildon University Hospital and Broomfield in Chelmsford.

The internal email said: "We know your leave is important, and this is not a request we are making lightly, but if you are able to come into work to support your colleagues and care for the patients who need us we would be extremely grateful."

Covid-19 case rates across Essex

The whole of Essex is now in tier four - the highest level of restrictions and the south of the county has some of the worst-affected districts in England in terms of cases per 100,000 people.

The Covid-19 case rate for the whole UK was 382 per 100,000 people for the week to 24 December, according to government statistics.

In Essex, the rate in the 14 council districts was:

• Brentwood: 1,419

• Epping Forest: 1,414

• Thurrock: 1,340

• Castle Point: 1,206

• Southend-on-Sea: 1,115

• Rochford: 1,081

• Basildon: 1,071

• Harlow: 1,013

• Chelmsford: 870

• Braintree: 865

• Maldon: 759

• Uttlesford: 577

• Colchester: 414

• Tendring: 388

Source: UK government interactive map

Monday's figures showed the number of patients being treated for Covid-19 across hospitals in England was at a record high. of 20,426 - beating the previous peak of about 19,000 in April.

The internal email from senior bosses appealed to staff to return to work

Southend West's Tory MP Sir David Amess said he had been reassured by hospital bosses that "they are coping".

He added that "this was very much what I had been expecting" given the usual extra demands in winter and the fact the virus was mutating.

The Labour leader of Southend Borough Council, Ian Gilbert, was concerned about pressures on staff.

"If cases continue to climb, we are getting near to the point where our health services won't be able to cope," he said.

Diane Sarkar, chief nursing officer at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We are caring for more Covid-19 patients than we did in the first wave of the pandemic, and so we've asked clinical staff who are available and willing if they would consider temporarily deferring their annual leave to help support colleagues.

"This is decision remains the choice of our staff, who have continued to be exceptional throughout the pandemic, and we ask the public to help us by following national hands, face, space guidance."

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The Princess Alexander Hospital in Harlow has also reported an increase in Covid-19 patients and an "extremely high demand" for its services.

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