NHS under pressure: Mansfield hospitals busy with almost all beds taken, data shows

The NHS England data, which covers the week up to January 15, shows that SFH sites – including Sutton’s King’s Mill and Mansfield Community hospitals – were running at 96.9 per cent capacity that week.

Meanwhile, figures for the previous week reveal a further struggle at 98 per cent.

It is widely considered within health that hospitals with more than 85 per cent of their beds full are concerningly busy and safety concerns for patients are raised.

The data confirms the area’s remain dangerously busy as the NHS continues to face major pressures this winter.

Rachel Eddie, SFH chief operating officer, said staff are working hard to make sure every bed counts.

She said: “Demand for NHS services across the country remains incredibly high.

“We are very proud of and grateful to our hardworking staff who go to extraordinary lengths every day to provide safe and effective care for our patients.

“Making every bed count this winter is key and we’ve put in place a whole host of measures to help us manage these exceptional pressures, including opening more beds earlier this month than ever before.”

The trust has also opened a new Transfer of Care Hub, to help relieve some of the pressure on capacity.

Ms Eddie said: “We have opened the new hub at King’s Mill Hospital, where we are working with partner organisations to speed up the safe discharge of patients in order to free up beds for those who need them.

“We’re also using our Same Day Emergency Care unit to help reduce the need for hospital admissions.

“We’re asking our local communities to work with our staff to help support their loved ones to leave hospital as soon as they are ready to go home.”

Overall, the latest analysis shows that in the latest week only nine out of 130 trusts in the whole of England were below recommended occupancy threshold of 85 per cent.