UHNM: Covid staff sickness worry for Staffordshire hospital boss

UHNM runs County Hospital in Stafford and Royal Stoke University Hospital

The number of NHS staff off work due to Covid-19 is the "single biggest concern", a hospital boss says, amid the spread of the Omicron variant.

Nearly 12,000 people work for the University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM).

About 850 are off sick this week although not all were Covid-related, said Tracy Bullock, chief executive.

But she admitted if more were absent it would make winter "very difficult".

"The sticking point will be workforce," Ms Bullock said of their proposals for the next few months, adding, "so much of our plans are reliant upon workforce".

Tracy Bullock said she hoped there would not be a blanket ban on elective surgery this winter due to Covid-19 pressures

Ms Bullock, whose trust runs County Hospital in Stafford and Royal Stoke University Hospital, said it currently has 70 patients with Covid-19 and 16 in the critical care unit.

With cases of the Omicron variant rising across the country, she said the trust is already planning to convert one ward into a Covid ward for new admissions.

• A record day for cases - what does it tell us?

• What are the Christmas rules this year?

• People urged to socialise carefully as cases soar

In September the trust postponed some operations amid pressures.

"We do expect at some point we are likely to have to cancel more of our elective procedures," Ms Bullock said, but added, "we would not wish to do a blanket ban".