Staff have spoken about the pressures Watford General Hospital is facing – as it was revealed that some patients have been transferred to other hospitals.

A televised ITV news report this evening (Monday) highlighted how the hospital is coping during the winter Covid period after NHS England chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said that someone is being admitted to hospital with coronavirus in the country "every 30 seconds".

Government figures reveal that West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Watford General as well as Hemel Hempstead and St Albans City Hospitals, was caring for a record breaking 347 Covid patients as of 8am on January 12, which is 201 more than during the spring peak.

The televised ITV report said that since New Year, 18 patients from the intensive care unit have had to be transferred to other hospitals across the country, such as Nottingham and Leicester, as Watford General is “desperate for space” in intensive care to make room for patients from the acute ward.

It also claimed that making room at times for patients “has become impossible”.

However, West Herts Hospitals Trust told the Observer on Tuesday evening it has "plenty of bed space and like many hospitals have created more areas for critically ill patients".

A spokesperson said: "Should we need to arrange a patient transfer to another hospital, informed clinical decisions are made about which patients are the most stable to move, and there are strict protocols in place so that they are moved safely and with the right support."

The average age of Covid-19 patients being admitted

Meanwhile, one intensive care matron, Vicky Houghton, told ITV news that Watford General is seeing “a lot more younger people” during the winter period.

She said the average age at the moment of Covid-19 patients at Watford General Hospital are those in their 30s or 40s.

She said: "We're seeing families, we're having families coming in and we're seeing families being wiped out - which is just so soul-destroying."

Speaking about the ages of patients being admitted to Watford General, Dr Andy Barlow, a consultant respiratory physician, told ITV: "The thing I really wanted to draw your attention to are the ages of these patients - 52, 52, 52, 46, 53, 53 - I go on.

"These aren’t my or people’s grandparents on the ward here, these are school-aged children’s mums and dads on this ward."

He added: “It’s very hard sitting on a bed, looking out the ward and seeing patients die.

“I can’t imagine how harrowing that is for a patient and we have had families witness that, some have witnessed parents dying here.”

West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust only recently passed 500 reported Covid deaths, but now the trust is nearing the next milestone of 600 after a series of backdated Covid deaths were reported.

Over five days (January 13-17), 50 Covid deaths have been reported by the NHS at the west Hertfordshire trust, NHS England figures show.

Deaths are usually reported by the NHS within a week, however out of the 50 reported in the last five days, 29 were between December 22 and 29, while one of the 50 deaths occurred back on November 5.

Throughout the pandemic, we have known some deaths can take longer to be reported due to a delay in registration.

The remaining 20 deaths all occurred in January.

Sir Simon told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show: "The facts are very clear and I’m not going to sugar-coat them, hospitals are under extreme pressure and staff are under extreme pressure.

"Since Christmas Day we’ve seen another 15,000 increase in the inpatients in hospitals across England, that’s the equivalent of filling 30 hospitals full of coronavirus patients.

"Staggeringly, every thirty seconds across England another patient is being admitted to hospital with coronavirus."

But he also shed some positive light on the speed of the vaccination programme, saying 140 jabs are being delivered nationally "every minute".