Exclusive: Almost as many caught Covid in hospital in past month as in previous four

Nearly as many patients caught Covid-19 in England's hospitals in the past month as over the previous four combined, according to official data.

More than 11,000 people who went into hospital with an unrelated issue contracted the virus during stays in December and the beginning of January, Telegraph analysis of new NHS England figures has found.

NHS Trusts began recording the rates of nosocomial infections – those acquired in hospital – in August. Data shows that between then and December 5, 12,815 patients caught Covid-19 in hospital – more than one in six of those being treated.

According to analysis of NHS England data, 11,327 of the 65,981 new Covid patients in hospital in the month to January 5 acquired the virus there. Any patient who first tests positive for the virus more than seven days after they are admitted is said to have a "probable" hospital acquired infection, according to NHS England's definition.

The dramatic surge in nosocomial infections has come hand in hand with soaring rates in the wider community exacerbated by the new, more infectious strain of the virus.

An NHS England spokesman said: "Over the course of this specific period, hospital infection rates tracked Covid cases in the community, in line with what the ONS has said which is that hospital infection rates rise with cases in the community.

"Every hospital is asked to rigorously follow regularly updated PHE [Public Health England] guidance on infection prevention and control and actually the number of outbreaks in hospitals has fallen according to most recent published PHE data."

The figures follow a surge in NHS staff absence, with almost half those off work at the start of the month absent because they had Covid-19 or were being forced to isolate. Nearly 100,000 NHS staff were absent on January 6, more than 8 per cent of the workforce. More than 49,700 had Covid or were isolating because of the virus.

The figures lay bare a "perfect storm of disaster" for the NHS, as staff shortages and increases in the number of patients coming in with Covid-19 make it harder to manage infection control, according to Dr Rinesh Parmar, the chairman of the Doctors' Association UK.

Dr Parmar said: "Infection control when our hospitals are overwhelmed becomes incredibly difficult. We're creating new areas within hospital to cater for more and more Covid patients, and that means that patients are sometimes having to move around as well, from one area to another.

"We're having to move the Covid-free patients to other parts of the hospital where they might not normally be cared for, and alongside that you've got a situation where more and more staff are having to look after and care for Covid-positive patients."

One healthcare practitioner at a hospital in northern England told The Telegraph a Covid-19 ward had been turned into a general ward in the space of a single day as managers rearranged beds. The ward was deep cleaned but the adjacent areas were not, the healthcare practitioner said.

Staff at a few hospitals with large numbers of workers off sick have also faced pressure to come back to work quickly after having Covid-19 or being exposed to the virus.

At Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, one doctor was allegedly instructed to continue working even though they had been exposed to coronavirus and had not had a test to confirm that they were negative. On January 6 – the last date for which data is available – the trust had 816 staff off sick or isolating because of Covid-19, the fourth highest total in England.

A spokesman for Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust said: "To ensure the safety of our staff and patients, the trust rigorously follows the guidance set out nationally by PHE for healthcare workers who are in contact with staff or patients who are Covid-19 positive. In line with that guidance, staff are asked to self-isolate where appropriate."

Absence rates have also been surging across London's major hospitals, in line with Covid rates in the capital, with as many as 788 staff off because of Covid at Kings College NHS Hospital Trust.