Cambridge hospital 'under pressure' as Covid absences double

Services at major NHS hospital are under "extra pressure" after Covid-related staff absences doubled in a month, its governing trust has said.

Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge said there were nearly 100 staff off sick or self-isolating in early June, which had risen to 200 this week.

The hospital said the increased absences were related to a rise in infection rates in the local community.

A number of steps were being taken to limit the spread, the trust said.

Last week, staff absences hit more than 250, but they had dropped in recent days, the hospital said.

A spokeswoman for Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Addenbrooke's, said: "With the recent rise in Covid infection rates in the local community, we have seen an increase in the number of staff off sick or self-isolating, due to Covid.

"This has put extra pressure on some of our services, however we are working hard to maintain staffing levels across the trust.

"We have also re-introduced the wearing of face masks in all patient-facing clinical areas."

As of 12 July, Addenbrooke's had 126 inpatients who tested positive for Covid, but the trust said the majority were not primarily in hospital because of that illness.

Facemasks were re-introduced two weeks ago for staff, patients and visitors in clinical areas, the trust said.