Recurring concern

Insufficient critical care bed capacity

First to latest report 27 Oct 2014 — 16 Jun 2025

Reports that mention this concern
4
Times this concern has been raised
4
Stated actions linked to this concern
1

What this concern includes

Includes shortages, closures or inadequate availability of resuscitation, intensive therapy or other explicitly critical-care beds when the deficiency limits timely access to the required level of care.

What is not included
  • Excludes mental health, psychiatric, dementia, social-care and other non-critical-care bed shortages.
  • Excludes general hospital or ward bed shortages unless the report directly links them to critical-care capacity.
  • Excludes generic staffing or equipment shortages that are not specifically tied to maintaining critical-care bed capacity.

Reports and published responses 4 reports

See individual reports that have raised this concern, and the actions taken in response

  1. East London

    AI-generated summary

    Mrs Norma Faye Campbell · Prevention of Future Deaths report

    This summary was generated using AI from the published report. Please read the original report for the complete account.

    Report summary

    Mrs Norma Faye Campbell attended Whipps Cross Hospital emergency department on 13 January 2024 with clear signs of sepsis and died there in the early hours of 14 January 2024 after suffering a cardiac arrest. The report identifies delays and omissions in sepsis treatment, monitoring, fluid resuscitation and escalation of care. It also raises concerns about overcrowding, inadequate staffing and facilities, insufficient resuscitation beds, lack of electronic observations and the absence of Critical Care Outreach Team support in the emergency department.

    Read the report on judiciary.uk

    Source evidence

    How this individual concern was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Insufficient numbers of resuscitation beds

    Wider context from the report

    “3. There are often insufficient numbers of resuscitation beds. Patients who require a resuscitation area level of care are often directed to the majors area of A&E. The majors area lacks the levels of staffing and lacks the monitoring equipment required to treat this cohort of patients. In the absence of increased numbers of resuscitation beds, a system for continuous monitoring of observations in majors would significantly improve patient care. ”

    Source location

    Mrs Norma Faye Campbell · Prevention of Future Deaths report
    Page 2 · concerns

    Open source report

    Source evidence

    How this respondent action was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Develop a new centrally located resuscitation area near the assessment zones.

    Verbatim wording from the response

    “We have planned infrastructural improvements, including a new centrally located resuscitation area near assessment zones, which is expected to enhance flow.”

    Source location

    Response from Barts Health NHS Foundation Trust
    Page 3 · response
    Published 26 June 2025

    Open published response

  2. Manchester South

    AI-generated summary

    Margaret Ena Warwick · Prevention of Future Deaths report

    This summary was generated using AI from the published report. Please read the original report for the complete account.

    Report summary

    Margaret Ena Warwick, who had significant ischaemic heart disease and left ventricular dysfunction, suffered an accidental fall at home on 23 February 2022 and was taken to hospital with a fractured neck of femur requiring surgery. Her pre-operative cardiac review, surgery and access to a high-dependency unit bed were delayed by shortages of cardiology cover, theatre capacity and HDU beds. She initially recovered after surgery but deteriorated and died in hospital on 7 March 2022.

    Read the report on judiciary.uk

    Source evidence

    How this individual concern was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Shortage of HDU beds causing delays to care

    Wider context from the report

    “3. The delay was further compounded by a shortage of HDU beds at the Trust. The Inquest heard that the Trust was trying to manage this but this shortage was part of a national shortage of HDU beds. ”

    Source location

    Margaret Ena Warwick · Prevention of Future Deaths report
    Page 2 · concerns

    Open source report

  3. Inner North London

    AI-generated summary

    Mary Patricia MULDOWNEY · Prevention of Future Deaths report

    This summary was generated using AI from the published report. Please read the original report for the complete account.

    Report summary

    Mary Patricia Muldowney suffered a spontaneous subarachnoid haemorrhage caused by a ruptured artery and was admitted to East Surrey Hospital on 20 July 2016. Several hospitals refused urgent transfer to specialist neurosurgical care because intensive care beds were unavailable; she was eventually transferred and underwent surgery, but died after her condition deteriorated during transfer. The principal concern was that the lack of an immediately available intensive care bed delayed time-critical surgery, which the report states she probably would have survived if performed promptly.

    Read the report on judiciary.uk

    Source evidence

    How this individual concern was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Unavailability of intensive care beds for time-critical specialist neurosurgical transfers

    Wider context from the report

    “In the light of the gravity of Ms Muldowney’s situation, with the only definitive treatment being surgery, she required immediate transfer to a specialist neurosurgical unit, yet she was refused transfer by at least three hospitals who said they had no intensive care beds. She could have been transferred, undergone surgery, spent time in recovery, and then an intensive care bed procured, perhaps even by transferring out a non neurosurgical patient. If such a bed was still unavailable, she could then have been transferred to a different hospital, at least having undergone the time critical clot evacuation and aneurysm clipping. With prompt transfer and surgery, Ms Muldowney would probably have survived. ”

    Source location

    Mary Patricia MULDOWNEY · Prevention of Future Deaths report
    Page 3 · concerns

    Open source report

  4. Central and South East Kent

    AI-generated summary

    Betty SMITH · Prevention of Future Deaths report

    This summary was generated using AI from the published report. Please read the original report for the complete account.

    Report summary

    Betty SMITH underwent surgery for a large intrathoracic hiatus hernia on 22 October 2012, deteriorated the following day, was admitted to intensive care on 24 October, and died on 25 October from intraabdominal and intrathoracic haemorrhage following repair of the hiatus hernia. Concerns included the lack of a secured High Dependency Unit bed before surgery, inadequate anaesthetic pre-assessment and the failure to refer her to a tertiary centre. The report also identified reduced intensive care capacity due to closed beds and nursing shortages as compromising care.

    Read the report on judiciary.uk

    Source evidence

    How this individual concern was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Insufficient staffed ITU bed capacity for patients requiring intensive therapy

    Wider context from the report

    “• Two ITU beds have been closed three months ago due to nursing shortages leaving William Harvey Hospital with just nine ITU beds. This is 4.5 beds per 100,000 population compared to the national average of 6.4 ITU beds. This is presenting the ITU Intensivists with significant difficulties and compromises the care of those patients requiring intensive therapy in a busy district general hospital. ”

    Source location

    Betty SMITH · Prevention of Future Deaths report
    Page 2 · concerns

    Open source report

Actions and positions describe what organisations say in published responses. Implementation is not independently verified.

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Data last updated 7 September 2026