Bulletin 78 | Nicola Oliver
A limited number of nurses and doctors have the expertise to care for ICU patients in the UK, and temporary units such as the Nightingales will help only if they are adequately staffed.
Analysis at 1 October suggested critical care units were at around 65% capacity, and acute beds at 88%, which was close to physical capacity limits. Staffing constraints for ICU treatment make those limits relatively inflexible in the short term.