Bolton hospital reports ‘one of busiest ever days’ in A&E as Covid admissions rise

Greater Manchester borough has highest coronavirus case rate in England

A man is photographed in Bolton town centre on 25 May, 2021. (PA)

A hospital in Bolton has reported “one of its busiest ever days” in its emergency department, after rising coronavirus cases led to a spike in hospitalisations.

There are currently 41 Covid-19 patients being treated at the Royal Bolton Hospital, with eight of them in critical care.

This comes as coronavirus infections in Bolton continue to soar, in large part due to the prevalence of the so-called Indian variant.

Andy Ennis, the deputy chief executive of the Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, said Monday “was one of the busiest days we have ever had in our emergency department”.

“People are presenting with a range of problems and staff are working very hard to ensure they receive all the care they need as quickly and efficiently as possible,” he added.

As a result of the strain put on its services, the hospital has said it is taking “urgent action” to make sure it is not overwhelmed. Accordingly, it has told people to only attend A&E if it is absolutely necessary.

The plea comes ahead of the bank holiday weekend and half-term, both of which are usually busy times for the NHS.

Bolton currently has the highest coronavirus infection rate in England, with an average of 450.7 cases per 100,000 people in the seven days up to 20 May – significantly higher than the level seen the previous week.

The Greater Manchester borough is on a list of the country’s coronavirus hotspots, along with seven other local areas including Leicester and Hounslow, London.

The government quietly changed its guidance for these eight areas last week, advising against non-essential travel into or out of them.

Local residents in these places have also been encouraged to meet people outdoors wherever possible and to take two free Covid-19 tests each week.

After the shift in advice was revealed by The Bolton News, the shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth, whose Leicester constituency is also affected, branded the guidance “local lockdowns by stealth”.

Speaking on Tuesday, he railed against the government for not announcing its new policies, saying it was “insulting” for his constituents not to be told about the new restrictions.

Similarly, his Labour colleague Yasmin Qureshi, the Bolton South East MP, tweeted that it was “another kick in the teeth” for her city, which she thinks has been “treated with contempt” by the government throughout the pandemic.

In response to criticism, Downing Street said the guidance was “not statutory” and that it had deliberately chosen to avoid “top-down edicts”.

Additional reporting by PA