Intensive care beds across West Midlands full as demand rises
Every intensive care bed was full at hospitals across the West Midlands on a string of occasions over the last year.
Health trusts have to report the current situation on the last Thursday of each month.
And on 20 of those days, hospitals in the Black Country and Staffordshire had no critical care beds available.
It has spared fears that seriously ill patients would not get the care they need.
The worst performing was Walsall's health trust, when beds were all full on nine of the 12 days they submitted figures.
Critical care beds at Dudley's Russells Hall Hospital were all occupied on six of the 12 days - including November, December and February this year.
And there were three occasions in Stafford - but this was under the now disbanded Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust.
Since the site became the County Hospital and was taken over by the University Hospital North Midlands NHS Trust, the number of beds in use ranged from 78 per cent to 93 per cent.
All beds were used on one occasion at New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton in November, and for the subsequent three months it ranged from 92.9 per cent to 96.4 per cent.
Beds at Sandwell Hospital and City Hospital in Winson Green were all occupied on the Thursday in March 2014 but the situation has since improved, with the figure falling to 73.7 per cent in January this year.
The Royal College of Surgeons has warned that more than 82 per cent of beds being used can lead to an increased risk of infection.
Across England, there were 4,028 adult critical care beds available and 3,548 occupied during the February snapshot, giving an occupancy rate of 88.1 per cent.
That was the highest occupancy rate observed since publication of the figures began in August 2010. The occupancy rate in February 2014 was 86.5 per cent.
Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust chief executive Paula Clark said: "The information provided to NHS England is based on the 20 standard beds and does not include the three additional beds on ITU or the four additional beds on our Medical High Dependency Unit that can be opened if required. There is also extra provision on ward B3 in our Vascular High Dependency Unit which can be used to relieve pressure on Surgical High Dependency Unit if needed.
"We routinely monitor demand and manage all elective operations by booking beds for patients in advance. The Trust is also part of the Critical Care Network which means we can transfer patients to other units in the West Midlands if required."
Walsall NHS bosses declined to comment due to the upcoming General Election.
Dr Mark Porter, chairman of the British Medical Association council, said: "This is the result a gradual rundown of beds, despite a rise in demand. High occupancy rates are a real concern because they leave little or no spare capacity to deal with a spike in demand for critical care, leaving the most seriously ill patients at risk.
"Critical care facilities are essential for the most interventionist care delivered to the sickest patients. Professional recommendation would be that, to maintain availability for such patients and the safety of care when there, bed occupancy rates should be no more than 70 per cent. A higher figure indicates a service under too much pressure."
Health trusts declined to comment due to the upcoming general election.
