Larger units are often divided into smaller units (eg, 8–10 beds) to make the delivery of care more manageable. Patients in these units are closely monitored and supported by sophisticated equipment, including ventilators that help patients breathe.ĬCUs can range from 4 beds to more than 50 beds (Table 1), depending on factors such as the type and number of patients the unit expects to see and on the work and size of the hospital it is part of.
These units are staffed by specially trained health care professionals who deliver intensive levels of care and treatment, for example, there is usually one nurse for every one or two patients. These patients might, for example, have problems with one or more vital organ or be unable to breathe without support. This means there is no publicly available information on the total number of critical care beds available to the NHS (including beds in existing NHS hospitals, the NHS Nightingale hospitals, and capacity purchased from the independent sector).Ĭritical care units (CCUs) are specialist hospital wards that treat patients who are seriously ill and need constant monitoring. It should be noted that to reduce pressures on frontline NHS services, NHS England has paused the collection and publication of official statistics on critical care bed capacity. This briefing brings together information on critical care services in England to highlight the important role these services play. The need to avoid critical care units being overwhelmed as Covid-19 cases rise has been cited as a key factor in significant policy decisions, including regional and national ‘lockdowns’.
A significant proportion of hospitalised patients with Covid-19 require help with breathing, including mechanical ventilation, and other services critical care staff and units provide. The national focus on critical care services in England has increased because of Covid-19 (coronavirus). This article was originally published in April 2020 and was updated in November 2020.
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