Derbyshire’s public health chief issues plea to public as NHS faces ‘huge pressures’ amid pandemic

In a statement on Tuesday, Dean Wallace revealed that almost 25 per cent of hospital beds locally were currently occupied with coronavirus patients.

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Mr Wallace said: “The reality is that every contact that people have with those outside their household or bubble creates a risk of passing on the virus.

“One in three people who have the virus show no symptoms, so it is easy to transmit it to others without knowing, and a vulnerable person could be part of every chain.

“There are huge pressures on the NHS in Derbyshire and across the country.

“Locally, nearly 25 per cent of hospital beds are occupied by people with Covid-19.

“We all have a part to play in making sure that our hospitals can continue to provide the cancer treatment, elective surgery and other support that we need.

“Please observe the lockdown, reduce your contact with others, get the vaccine when you are contacted for an appointment and use the community testing facilities when they are available in your area.”

On Monday, Chesterfield Royal Hospital revealed its staff were caring for 161 patients with Covid-19.

This number is significantly higher than last April’s peak when the hospital had 80 patients with the virus.

A Chesterfield Royal Hospital spokesperson said: “There are things that you can do to help and make sure we can keep our services running, including keeping to the Government guidelines and following all safety measures.

“We are here to help you and you must make sure you look after our own health but, if you do have a concern, please think about the right NHS resource to use and whether your concern can be treated by your local pharmacy, a conversation with your GP or self-care.

“If in doubt, you can call NHS 111 to speak to a health expert who will be able to give you advice and direct you to the most appropriate service to ensure we have the resources to treat genuine emergencies.”

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Editor’s message

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