Bristol and Weston hospital executive warns Covid pandemic 'not over'

The outgoing chief executive of an NHS Trust has warned the Covid-19 Omicron variant is "surging".

Robert Woolley gave the warning at his final board meeting overseeing University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Trust before retiring.

"We actually have more pressure in terms of Covid inpatients than we did at the previous January peak," he said.

"We are by no means out of the worst of the pandemic."

Mr Woolley said the surge in cases meant the trust was struggling to reduce patient numbers on the waiting list, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"This variant is playing through staff in our hospitals who are forced to isolate as a result," he said.

A report to the board said wards had been understaffed because of Covid-related absence through February.

It has rearranged its wards for a third time to help deal with Omicron.

But it added there was a risk that staff being asked to take on more duties to help cut waiting lists "will continue to feel overworked and become ill which could result in further reductions in workforce".

Deputy chief executive Mark Smith said: "We will probably hit the peak two weeks into April."

There are currently 100 people with Covid in the Bristol Royal Infirmary, 30 in Weston General Hospital and 13 in Bristol Children's Hospital.

The trust said it was also struggling to move medically fit people out of hospital because of a lack of suitable care places.

Mr Woolley urged the public to be careful when mixing socially, to continue wearing face masks in public, and to avoid entering crowded places, where possible.

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