Children’s intensive care at near full national occupancy amid rising RSV

A senior doctor has warned that paediatric intensive care units (PICUs) are ‘as pressured as I can ever recall’ – despite the absence of cold weather, which typically leads to higher demand levels.

James Fraser, president of the Paediatric Critical Care Society, said national bed occupancy in PICUs has “often been greater than 95 per cent” over recent weeks, while several units have reported 100 per cent occupancy. He said some children have had to be transferred between regions in order to admit them to a bed.

PICUs are often under more pressure during winter, due to seasonal RSV and other viral infections.

But high demand levels have started earlier this year, which has meant severely ill children have occasionally waited longer in local hospitals before being admitted to PICUs, and have sometimes had to be transferred to another site.

Mr Fraser told HSJ: “[PICUs] are really busy, as pressured as I can ever recall them.

“Every winter PICUs are under huge pressure due to seasonal RSV bronchiolitis. This usually happens between November and February. This year we always anticipated it would be a much longer season. It’s putting a lot of pressure on our national bed base.

“What is different is we have been under this pressure earlier in the year with RSV and other viral chest infections. We have been under this pressure for a month. The pressure is both the number of patients and there are a lot of staff off having to self-isolate."

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Source: HSJ, 29 October 2021