Covid-19: how many patients were in hospital and on ventilators in Greater Manchester in December

Greater Manchester’s hospitals saw notable rises in patient admissions with Covid-19 during December but only a small number of them required ventilation, data shows.

Figures analysed by our sister title NationalWorld show how coronavirus affected hospitals across the city-region during the final month of 2021.

We compared admissions figures for the week ending 1 December with the week up to Boxing Day and the number of people on ventilators at the start of the month and just after Christmas.

There has also been an increase in the number of people in hospital who have Covid-19 but are primarily in there to be treated for other medical conditions.

However, national health bodies say this still brings significant challenges for the NHS.

What does the data on hospital admissions with Covid-19 say?

The data clearly shows the number of people admitted to hospital with Covid-19 in the city-region went up in December.

At Bolton NHS Foundation Trust there was a rise of 39.4% with 33 patients brought in with the coronavirus in the week ending 1 December compared to 46 in the week up to Boxing Day.

Admissions with Covid-19 at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust went up from two to 17 in the same time period, while Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust saw numbers double from 19 to 38.

At Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust there was a 154.9% rise from 71 patients with Covid-19 coming into hospital in the week up to 1 December to 181 in the week ending Boxing Day.

And Stockport NHS Foundation Trust saw a 125% increase from 24 to 54.

What does the data on patients needing ventilation say?

Across England the number of Covid patients requiring ventilation fell throughout December.

While the figures for Greater Manchester do not entirely bear that out, it should be noted that the numbers of people on ventilators with Covid-19 are relatively small.

At Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust there were 10 Covid-19 patients requiring ventilation as of 1 December, and 13 as of 28 December.

In the same time period Bolton’s trust saw a decline from five to two, Stockport’s trust saw its numbers reduce from three to one, while Tameside and Glossop’s trust had two people with Covid-19 on ventilators as of 1 December but none as of 28 December.

What is the current situation with Covid-19 faced by hospitals?

Most Covid-positive patients in English hospitals are being treated primarily for coronavirus, although the Omicron wave has resulted in a growing minority who are admitted for other conditions but who test positive for Covid-19 as well.

On December 1, a quarter (25.7%) of Covid patients in hospital in England were being treated primarily for other conditions. By December 28, this had risen to a third (33%).

Across the North West as a whole, 72.1% of hospital patients were primarily being treated for Covid-19 on 1 December,

By 28 December that had fallen slightly to 67.8%.

Patients who are in hospital with, but not because of, Covid still place extra pressure on the system. NHS England says patients who are being treated primarily for other matters still need “treatment in areas that are segregated from patients without Covid”, and the presence of the virus can be a serious complicating factor for their health.

Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership this week also confirmed non-urgent surgery is being cancelled in local hospitals, due to the number of NHS staff off ill or isolating with Covid-19.