NHS England has far fewer hospital beds than it used to and is short of around 100,000 staff
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The resurgence of Covid-19 just before winter, when flu, falls and pneumonia put the NHS under its most intense pressure, raises a pressing question: do hospitals have enough beds to cope with what is about to hit them?
Last weekend Chris Hopson, the chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents hospitals in England, tweeted to warn of the “clear risk of ‘a perfect storm’: second Covid surge, usual winter pressures as well as recovering important care backlogs from first phase”.
