THE number of patients in hospital across Devon and Cornwall following a positive COVID-19 test has risen since last week – but only just.

NHS England figures show that, as of Tuesday morning (November 24), there were 272 patients across Devon and Cornwall in hospital after a positive COVID-19 test. This compares to 265 as of November 17.

But while the number of patients in the Royal Devon and Exeter, North Devon and Cornish hospitals has increased, Torbay Hospital has seen a decrease for the second week running, while Derriford Hospital has seen its number drop by more than 40 per cent.

The figures show there were 128 patients in the Royal Devon and Exeter (up from 106), 53 in Derriford Hospital in Plymouth (down from 90), 35 in Torbay Hospital (down from 39), 29 in North Devon District Hospital (up from 18), nine at the Royal Cornwall Hospital (up from six), six in Cornish Partnership Trust hospitals (up from 4), while 11 beds at Livewell SouthWest facilities in Plymouth (up from 2) and one bed at Devon Partnership Trust facilities (up from 0) were also occupied.

There were 16 patients in Mechanical Ventilation beds, down from 19, with one patient in Torbay Hospital, five at the RD&E and North Devon District Hospital, and 10 at Derriford Hospital, with none in Cornwall.

The figures show the amount of patients in hospital following a positive COVID-19 test who are currently occupying a bed.

But not every patient would necessarily have been admitted to hospital due to COVID-19, with a number of patients either contracting the virus inside the hospital, or being admitted for unrelated reasons but subsequently testing positive asymptotically when given routine tests.

Health bosses had previously said that it would not be until the end of November when the impact of the second lockdown would begin to have an effect on hospitals in the region.

by Daniel Clark, Local Democracy Reporter