How close were hospitals to collapse in Covid?

Covid inquiry offers clearest understanding of what was really going on at the height of the pandemic.

In 2020 , as Covid spread around the world, a consultant anaesthetist was seconded to NHS England and sent out to the worst hit areas to support other medics.

The inquiry restarts its live hearings this week with evidence from doctors and patient groups.

Health ministers and senior NHS managers are also expected to appear.

New research suggests those hospital units under the greatest pressure also saw the highest mortality rates for both Covid and non-Covid cases.

At no point did the NHS have to impose a formal ânational triage, where someone was refused treatment because they could not get a hospital bed.

At least one NHS trust implemented a blanket âdo-not-resuscitate order at the height of the pandemic.

Before the pandemic, from December 2019 to February 2020 , only 68 of these capacity transfers had taken place in England .

Between December 2020 and February 2021 , 2,152 were needed, external by road or air ambulance.

In normal times between 15% and 20% of ICU patients die in hospital, according to the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine .