Hospitals are urged to free up as many beds as possible in preparation for the ambulance union action.
NHS England Chief Operating Officer Sir David Sloman warned it would be a “very challenging time” with “extensive disruption” as the NHS was hit by a series of strikes.
Ambulance workers across England and Wales, including paramedics and control room staff, are set to leave from 21 to 28 December in a coordinated strike by overpaid members of Unison, GMB and Unite.
Nine ambulance trusts are expected to be affected on Dec. 21, with eight more a week later.
This came just days after the nurses’ strike on 15 December and another day of union action on 20 December.
In a joint letter from Sir David, National Medical Director Sir Stephen Powys and Chief Nurse Dame Ruth May urged the NHS trusts and comprehensive care authorities not only to free up beds but also to take steps to ensure the transfer of ambulance patients. is kept at the maximum. 15 minutes.
However, discharging patients from hospitals to free up beds was a maneuver that the president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine called “really difficult.”
Dr. Adrian Boyle stated this in an interview with BBC Radio 4. today Programme: “We always want ambulances to be able to get back to the front lines as quickly as possible.
“We have been working on this for the last three years.
“To give you an idea of how big the problem is, over the past week, three-quarters of emergency departments have received late ambulances every day.
“And that’s because our emergency rooms are overcrowded.”
NHS data on Thursday showed delays in delivering ambulances to hospitals in England hit a new high, with one in six patients waiting for more than an hour last week to be taken to the emergency room and more than one in three waiting for at least 30 minutes. waiting.
The numbers are as high as they have been in recent winters.
Saffron Corderi, interim director of NHS Providers, echoed the doctor. Boyle’s warning about the difficulty of taking action to reduce strikes.
“NHS England is asking trust and system leaders to focus on reducing transmission delays and maximizing emergency and emergency care capacity,” she said, “but given the level of operational pressure on healthcare providers, including very high employment rates beds, increased flu cases, continued Covid-19 pressures, staff absenteeism reports and increased ER visits, this will be incredibly difficult to implement.
She added: “We understand why the paramedics voted for union action, but it is important that the government and unions urgently speak up to find a way to prevent this and other strikes.”
The letter from the three health leaders calls for emergency care, mental health and public confidence to expedite the “discharge of all clinically discharged patients” and asks for “steps to facilitate the relocation of patients who have completed their emergency medical care.” Leaving and waiting for a hospital bed in the emergency room to make room for new patients.”
They said this could mean “creating observation areas and additional beds elsewhere in the hospital.”
Some outpatient appointments may also be canceled to free up more staff for emergency care, although cancer diagnosis and treatment should be protected.
The NHS Trusts and ICB have until 16:00 December 19 to confirm their plans to crack down on union action.
The Association of Police Officers has already proposed to involve police officers to drive ambulances.
NHS England said other measures being considered include the use of St. John’s ambulance and first responders, and the use of the military or taxis to transport less seriously ill people to and from the hospital.
But Oliver Dowden, the cabinet secretary in charge of contingency planning, warned that the strikes posed a “serious risk.”
He said Telegraph: “The government will not be able to eliminate all the consequences of these strikes, and especially something like an ambulance strike, we cannot eliminate these risks.
“These are serious risks that people face and I urge union leaders to think about this and urge them to start negotiations and stop strikes.”
GMB stated: “The government can stop this strike in the blink of an eye, but they need to wake up and start wage negotiations.”
Source: I News
I’m Raymond Molina, a professional writer and journalist with over 5 years of experience in the media industry. I currently work for 24 News Reporters, where I write for the health section of their news website. In my role, I am responsible for researching and writing stories on current health trends and issues. My articles are often seen as thought-provoking pieces that provide valuable insight into the state of society’s wellbeing.