Harrogate District Hospital reached maximum bed occupancy this month, with all 292 beds filled.
Figures published by NHS England show that on February 4 the hospital was at maximum capacity although the situation has improved slightly since.
The hospital is currently operating at 90% bed occupancy, as it battles covid and winter pressures, say trust managers.
Officials at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said the hospital was dealing with a “variety of winter infections”, such as flu and the Omicron variant of covid.
Russell Nightingale, chief operating officer at the trust, said the hospital reached maximum bed occupancy last week “for a short period of time”.
He said:
“Our trust’s primary purpose is to ensure the best possible healthcare service for patients in our care.
“Winter is always a busy time of the year at Harrogate District Hospital as we deal with a variety of winter infections such as flu and the Omicron variant of covid, in addition to all other regular activity.
“Bed occupancy rates are always increasing during the winter months and last week for a short period of time we did reach maximum bed occupancy rates.
“Currently we are at around 90% bed occupancy rates; however we do have process in place to deal with such eventualities and to ensure we can continue to look after our patients.”
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Mr Nightingale said “we do not want patients spending longer than they need to in our hospital” and that tye trust worked with other agencies, such as North Yorkshire County Council, to support them after discharge.
He added:
“We also have our Same Day Emergency Care Unit, which is rapidly assessing and treating patients to reduce the number of patients staying overnight and supporting those who are ready to be discharged and would benefit from being out of a hospital environment.”
