WHISTON Hospital has opened its fifth Covid ward to deal with the growing number of coronavirus patients.

Last week, the Local Democracy Reporting Service revealed that St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust was preparing to open its fourth coronavirus ward at Whiston Hospital after a steep rise in admissions.

Following a sharp rise over last weekend, admissions continued to steadily grow over the course of the week.

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Subsequently, the trust opened up the fourth coronavirus ward and then opened a fifth on Friday.

A spokesman for the trust confirmed that Whiston Hospital saw another jump in admissions over the weekend, although not as big as the previous weekend.

Data published by NHS England data over the weekend also showed that four more patients who had tested positive for Covid-19 died at the trust last week.

The data, which is published daily, shows that two patients died on Wednesday, October 14 and two people died on Thursday, October 15.

This means the trust’s coronavirus death toll now stands at 234.

NHS England has also began publishing hospital weekly admission data for coronavirus patients, broken down by trust.

The data shows the number of coronavirus patients admitted on a specific day or those diagnosed with Covid-19 in hospital.

There is also a lag in the NHS England data, with the first and latest figures only covering up to October 11.

St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust does not regularly publish admission or intensive care data, so the exact numbers are unknown.

However, a spokesman for the trust confirmed that Whiston Hospital still has capacity.

The trust spokesman said: “Admission numbers are still increasing but we continue to have capacity across the trust, as well as in ICU (intensive care unit), and we are continuing with a full elective programme.”

Last Monday, the trust confirmed that it had seen admissions at Whiston Hospital jump from 66 to 90 over the weekend.

At the time, nine coronavirus patients were in the hospital’s intensive care unit, although two people were moved onto the ward on Tuesday.

Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram told the Liverpool Echo on Sunday that hospital trusts across the region were in danger of reaching full capacity “today or tomorrow”.

St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust’s executive leadership team are meeting every morning to discuss the perilous situation.

At this moment in time, nothing has been stood down but the fear is the hospital will reach a point where treatment will have to be prioritised.

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Speaking last week, Andy Ashton, an A&E consultant at Whiston Hospital, said: “The reality is that if the numbers continue to increase at the rate that they are increasing, we may have to prioritise treatment for the most clinically urgent cases, which means that patients who need more routine care could end up waiting longer.

“That’s not what any of us want and it’s vital therefore that we all play our part by following the local guidance to help protect the most vulnerable in our society.

“Please help us and encourage your friends and family to do the same.”