Gloucestershire Hospitals Trust potentially lost more than £5 million due to thousands of missed appointments through the pandemic, figures show. The failed appointments waste time and heap pressure on consultants who already face “extraordinary demand” due to the virus, says the British Medical Association. NHS Digital data shows that in the 11 months from April last year, there were 34,225 outpatient appointments which people did not show up for. It means out of 600,720 booked sessions, 6 per cent were unattended. And with the average outpatient appointment costing £160 – as estimated by several NHS trusts – the no-shows may have cost Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust around £5.5 million.
Gloucestershire Hospitals Trust potentially lost more than £5 million due to thousands of missed appointments through the pandemic, figures show. The failed appointments waste time and heap pressure on consultants who already face “extraordinary demand” due to the virus, says the British Medical Association. NHS Digital data shows that in the 11 months from April last year, there were 34,225 outpatient appointments which people did not show up for. It means out of 600,720 booked sessions, 6 per cent were unattended. And with the average outpatient appointment costing £160 – as estimated by several NHS trusts – the no-shows may have cost Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust around £5.5 million.
Gloucestershire Hospitals Trust was caring for 93 coronavirus patients in hospital as of Tuesday, figures show. NHS England data shows the number of people being treated in hospital for Covid-19 by 8am on February 9 was down from 150 on the same day the previous week. The number of beds at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust occupied by people who tested positive for Covid-19 decreased by 57 per cent in the last four weeks – 28 days ago, there were 216. The figures also show that 74 new Covid patients were admitted to hospital in Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in the week to February 7. This was down from 101 in the previous seven days.
Three new coronavirus deaths have been recorded at Gloucestershire Hospitals Trust in the latest 24-hour period, the latest official figures show. NHS England figures show 480 people had died in hospital at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as of 5pm on Tuesday (January 26). That was an increase of three compared to Monday, when there were 477. It means there have been 31 deaths in the past week, down from 32 the previous week. The victims were among 3,356 deaths recorded across the South West. Daily death counts are revised each day, with each case backdated to the actual date of death. This means some of the deaths that were first recorded in the latest period may actually have taken place days earlier.
Stroud MP Siobhan Baillie called on the Government today to reopen primary schools after half term, arguing that remote learning was affecting children’s mental health. UK schools remain closed to most pupils during lockdown 3, offering remote learning instead to all but the vulnerable and the children of key workers. With the UK exceeding 100,000 Covid deaths for the first time, the Government has indicated its schools policy will not change before the easter half term, but Mrs Baillie said she wanted kids back in school after the break. “It is more important than ever and we need to hear about my Stroud dad who contacted me because he is so desperately worried about the mental health of his children being at home all day and parents that are contacting me on Instagram,” Mrs Baillie told parliament.