CORONAVIRUS: Only one confirmed case of Covid in Lincolnshire hospitals, health chiefs reveal

The figures were revealed at a health scrutiny meeting yesterday (Wednesday), which also heard that there are now just under a thousand patients who have been waiting for hospital treatment for more than a year.

United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust deputy chief executive Mark Brassington told Lincolnshire County Council’s Health Scrutiny Committee on Wednesday that the trust saw a peak of 2,000 patients waiting for treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic, but that figure has now more than halved.

“I’m pleased to say as of today that’s down to 937, but that’s still 937 more patients than we should have waiting over a year,” he said.

Of those, no patients are currently classed as priority one — those needing to be seen in 72 hours.

The latest figures also show that, excluding cancer patients, the majority of patients needing surgery within a month are currently waiting just over six weeks.

Cancer patients are being treated within the limit, hospital bosses said.

Mr Brassington told councillors: “We know that we’ve got more to do, and we are committed to get below the four weeks and to speed up access as far as we can.

Just one patient is currently being treated for COVID in United Lincolnshire Trust facilities – though bosses said others were “COVID-query”, just not confirmed.

Mr Brassington told the committee the trust had treated more than 3,000 COVID-positive patients since the start of the pandemic, with 104 in wards at the height of the first wave and 253 at the peak of the second.

“It’s good to see we have that single patient, but we look at the news and hope the vaccination programme continues to break that link,” he said.

A hospital vaccination hub, which has since closed, managed to provide staff and patients with 41,000 doses.