THE Trust that runs Basildon and Thurrock Hospital says it is seeing a 'gradual reduction' in the number of patients it is treating for coronavirus across its hospitals.

And it restates that it has enough personal protection equipment (PPE) to keep safe – though it adds it is grateful for donations that have been made by local businesses.

Looking to the future, the Trust says it will be reappraising how it operates and will be looking at lessons learned in crisis, particularly with regard to 'enhanced local system working'.

In a statement released today (Friday, 1 March) the Mid and South Essex Hospitals Trust says: "

We are starting to see a gradual reduction in the number of people we are treating for COVID-19 across our hospitals and are currently caring for 161 patients who have confirmed COVID-19 as of today."

The Trust has also told how it is expanding patient and staff testing for COVID-19, saying: "As more test capacity has been made available to us, we can now go beyond Public Health England's original advice which prioritised symptomatic patients and key workers.

"Latest NHS England guidance is to expand testing to all non-elective patients admitted into our hospitals that require a bed overnight. This includes patients who are asymptomatic. A similar approach will be applied to elective patients from next week.

"We also continue to work with social care partners to ensure that all our patients being discharged from hospital to a care home are first tested for COVID-19.

"We have increased our staff testing over the past week. Our laboratory at Broomfield hospital is now able to process swabs and we have tested over 400 members of staff and their dependents.

"Many of the swab results have come back negative and those staff can return to work. Staff with positive results are receiving appropriate healthcare and advice and are remaining at home.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

"Our PPE supplies are in a much better position this week".

"We have sufficient gowns to last us for several days regardless of more deliveries. We continue to launder gowns as part of our contingency plan and only use gowns that are undamaged and safe to wear. We have a good quantity of masks, gloves and aprons.

"Please be confident that we have enough supplies to keep our staff safe. We also continue to receive donations of PPE from local businesses and we are very grateful for those."

And the Trust is making plans for a gradual return to 'normality'.

It says: "Currently, routine elective and diagnostic services have been downscaled across our hospital in response to COVID-19.

"Over the coming weeks we will be looking at how we can safely restore some of these services, whilst continuing to care for patients affected.

"Changing how we deliver care in the future will not be easy, not for our hospitals and not for our health service, but it's important that we look to build on the changes that our Trust and the wider health sector have brought about in recent weeks, such as enhanced local system working; and new technology-enabled service delivery such as digital consultations for outpatients.

"We will be writing out to stakeholders in the coming weeks with more detail on our plans.

"We continue to prioritise cancer treatment and urgent clinical care cases. Our cancer patients are being carefully assessed. Based on their clinical risk, they will either be brought into our hospitals for a face-to-face appointment or they will have their appointment via telephone."

And the trust has said thank-you for all the support given by local communities during the crisis.

It says: "Our local communities have been so generous in their support and we are incredibly grateful. The Mid and South Essex Hospitals Charity has launched an emergency appeal to support the health and wellbeing of patients and staff."

Donations can still be made via this link.

Offers of goods or services can be directed via email to [email protected].