17 March 2020 - NHS RESPONSE to C0VID-19:

Free up 30,000 beds:
- Postpone all non-urgent elective operations
- Urgently discharge inpatients who are fit to leave
- Block-buy capacity in private hospitals
- Free up community hospital beds

https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/publication/reducing-burden-and-releasing-capacity-at-nhs-providers-and-commissioners-to-manage-the-covid-19-pandemic/

Prepare for large numbers of inpatients requiring respiratory support:

- Secure a step change in oxygen supply
- National procurement for mechanical ventilation
- DHSC reports there is adequate supply of PPE
- Segregate all patients with respiratory problems

NHS Staffing:

- Support staff to stay well & at work
- Establish targeted staff testing for symptomatic staff
- Support the provision of telemedicine
- Asking clinicians to return to practice
- Deploy medical/nursing students
- Staff to work beyond usual boundaries

Wider measures:

- Roll out remote consultations (reduce face2face)
- Reduce patient visitors
- Cancel all CQC inspections
- Dedicated C0VID 111 service

“Whatever extra resources our NHS needs to cope with coronavirus – it will get.”

19 March 2020 - C0VID-19 Hospital Discharge Service Requirements:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/911541/COVID-19_hospital_discharge_service_requirements_2.pdf

Impact of discharges & cancellation of elective care coupled with reduced emergency attendances resulted in UNUSED spare capacity: 30,000+ general beds cleared and a further 10,000 closed.
RESULT: 3 million unused bed nights (>3x times usual spare capacity) in spring quarter