More hospital beds were occupied in the first three months of the year at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust than a year before, new figures show.

New figures from NHS England show 84.8 per cent of 717 overnight beds were occupied at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust in the three months to March.

This was a rise from 83 per cent during the same period a year before.

Rae Wheatcroft, Chief Operating Officer at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Demand for our beds can often vary depending on a number of factors, including the severity of illnesses and spikes in cold and flu cases, and we adjust the number of beds we have available based on this.

“Winter planning starts months in advance, and we introduce initiatives throughout the year to ensure a steady flow throughout our hospital and community services to help to keep everyone safe and well.

“Our teams also meet regularly each day to manage demand and to support our wards to deliver the best care possible for our patients and to enable them to return to the place they call home as soon as possible.”

In July last year, the hospital warned people coming to A&E that there were no beds available  and only six beds left in the hospital.

A think tank has warned high levels of occupancy can lead to worse patient care in hospitals.

Sarah Scobie director of research at the Nuffield Trust think tank, said: “No health system should be running their hospitals this hot."

She warned a lack of beds could "lead to dangerously busy and difficult conditions" in accident and emergency departments, waiting rooms and corridors.

"Frequent high levels of beds in use have contributed to record waiting lists we are seeing now, and there is also evidence that overcrowded hospitals increase risks to patients and link to higher rates of mortality," she added.

In response, Ms Scobie urged for greater long-term investment in buildings and equipment, alongside improving care services outside of hospitals.

Across England, occupancy rates rose again in the last quarter, reaching 89.8 per cent – just shy of the record of 90 per cent in March 2018.

For general and acute settings, this figure was 92.3 per cent – also the highest rate since the pandemic began.

The figures show 87.5 per cent of beds in acute settings at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust were filled in the three months to March.

Even with the coronavirus pandemic receding, the NHS in England has faced a difficult winter.

Issues with pay and working conditions have led many staff at the health service to strike in recent months.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "Cutting waiting lists is one of the government’s top five priorities and we are investing up to £14.1 billion in health and social care over the next two years, on top of record funding.

"Waiting times have substantially reduced from the peak of winter pressures in December and the NHS has set out ambitious plans to improve access to care. This includes delivering 5,000 additional permanent hospital beds for next winter as well as an extra 3,000 virtual ward beds to safely care for people from home, resulting in over 10,000 in total by autumn."

"Over the next two years we are also investing £1.6 billion to support timely and safe discharge of people from hospital into the community," they added.

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