Peterborough hospital ‘escalation plan’ in place due to ‘higher than usual staff sickness’ caused by COVID

The latest data shows Peterborough’s COVID case rate stood at 895.7 cases per 100,000 people on Christmas Day - the second highest rate recorded in the city during the pandemic - only beaten by Christmas Eve.

The high case rate has caused problems at the hospital as staff are forced to isolate from work as the virus spreads around the city.

But patients and residents are being reassured that services are not being affected at Peterborough City Hospital.

Phil Walmsley, Chief Operating Officer at North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust said: “Like many hospitals, we are experiencing higher-than-usual levels of staff sickness at the moment due to the increase in community infection rates.

“However, we have robust escalation plans in place, including redeploying staff to areas that need additional support, to ensure that we can manage this situation. We review this on a daily basis and are operating safely to ensure that our patients continue to experience good care. I would like to thank our staff for stepping up to fulfil additional shifts to ensure we can minimise any rota gaps during this time.”