Coronavirus: Hancock warns of ‘perilous’ situation as hospital admissions doubling every fortnight

Health secretary sets out plan to tackle ‘overlapping and disproportionate bureaucracy’

Hospital admissions in parts of England are doubling every two weeks, health secretary Matt Hancock has warned as he acknowledged the country is facing a “perilous moment” in the fight against Covid-19.

In a speech to NHS leaders on Thursday, Mr Hancock said hospitalisations in those aged over 60 were also increasing along with deaths.

His comments came as the latest daily coronavirus testing data showed 17,540 people had tested positive for coronavirus in the last 24 hours – with 3,412 patients in hospital. A further 77 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for the virus.

Mr Hancock said: “We are at a perilous moment in the course of this pandemic.

“I am very worried about the growth in the number of cases, especially in the northwest and the northeast of England, parts of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and parts of Yorkshire.”

“Hospitalisations in the northwest are doubling approximately every fortnight. They have risen by 57 per cent in just the last week alone.

“Unfortunately, we’re seeing hospitalisations in the over-60s rising sharply and the number of deaths from coronavirus also rising.”

Mr Hancock told the NHS Providers conference: “We know from bitter experience that the more coronavirus spreads, the harder it is to do all the other vital work of the NHS too.”

Asked what he would do differently, Mr Hancock said asymptomatic transmission was one area he would have focused on earlier: “That does lead to a whole series of different policy consequences,” he said.

He added: “The message to the public must be that we all have a part to play to control this virus.

“Our strategy is simple – suppress the virus, supporting the economy, education and the NHS until a vaccine can make us safe.”

He concluded: “My message to everyone in the NHS is that we can and we will get through this. Sadly, there will be more difficult times ahead but we will get through this together.”

The health secretary also revealed his plan to tackle what he called multiple layers of “overlapping and disproportionate bureaucracy” that had been allowed to build up in the NHS.

He said in the “white heat” of the pandemic the frustrations of bureaucracy and hierarchies had “melted away” and he wanted to keep that momentum going.

In what could be a prelude to plans for new reforming legislation next year, Mr Hancock said he had received 1,000 tips from NHS staff on how to cut red tape.

He said: “It’s easy for layers of overlapping and disproportionate bureaucracy to build up. We must look at every rule and every process afresh and ask whether it makes sense after the pandemic. And we must increase support to the front line.

“I don’t believe in reorganisations designed in Whitehall offices based on management consultant spreadsheets, I’m allergic to all that.  

“I know that there’s a strong, growing consensus behind the systems-led approach, streamlining work by bringing together commissioners, providers and local authorities to plan services for the populations we serve.  

“We will remove the barriers that prevent collaboration and follow the approach set out in the long-term plan. We will improve, rework, join up and tie systems together so that we can all focus on the people that matter the populations we serve.”