Manchester 'Running Out Of Hospital Beds' As Political Row Over Tier 3 Lockdown Grinds On
Hospitals in Greater Manchester are running out of hospital beds, according to leaked NHS documents, as political wrangling over whether or not the area will enter Tier 3 restrictions continue.
Data seen by the Guardian and Sky News, show two of the region’s twelve hospitals are operating at full capacity and another is at 94%.
The NHS in a statement said it was monitoring the situation “very, very closely” and added it is “not unusual for 80% to 85% of ICU beds to be in use at this time of year”.
Covid deniers clearly have no idea what's actually happening right now on the ground in our NHS hospitals.
The more Covid cases overwhelm us, the less capacity we have for non-Covid care.
Staff are finite.
We simply can't be in two places at once 😔https://t.co/eC5Z839l33— Rachel Clarke (@doctor_oxford) October 18, 2020
The development comes amid a battle between the government and Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham over Covid restrictions.
The area may be offered millions in extra funding to accept the strictest coronavirus restrictions as Boris Johnson seeks to prevent a lockdown revolt and Burnham presses for a Commons vote to break the “impasse”.
The Labour mayor was said to have had a “constructive” conversation with the prime minister’s chief strategic adviser, Sir Edward Lister, over the weekend and further talks have been scheduled for Monday.
Senior Conservatives, including the influential chairman of the 1922 committee, Sir Graham Brady, have backed the Greater Manchester mayor in resisting Tier 3 for the region.
Burnham called for MPs to help workers and businesses hit with the harshest restrictions by having an urgent debate this week, warning “this is not just a Greater Manchester issue”, PA Media reports.
No 10 did not comment on reports in various newspapers that Johnson could offer the region tens of millions of pounds to accept the lockdown, but on Monday morning communities secretary Robert Jenrick told BBC Breakfast: “I have...
