Hospitals and emergency services expect the fallout from the nurses’ and ambulance workers’ strikes to last several days this week as hospitals find it “increasingly difficult” to provide safe care.
Saffron Corderi, acting director of NHS Providers, representing NHS funds, said the healthcare system was facing a “major challenge” following two days of strikes by tens of thousands of frontline workers.
She said: “We have seen disruptions of varying degrees across the country as demand shifted from 999 to other services or did not occur as expected.
“However, demand for medical care in the NHS remains high, with vendors reporting continued delays in emergency services and overcrowding in some emergency rooms.
“A number of trusts have reported critical incidents, indicating that they are being forced to enlist the support of other health and care partners.
“Trust leaders and their teams have done everything in their power to ensure that patients receive safe treatment, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to do so.
“Despite their efforts, we have also heard stories from managers and their staff who feel helpless and traumatized by their inability to help all who need the NHS and the care it provides.”
Ms Cordery said the disruption is “far from over” and the impact of the strikes is likely to spread in the coming days due to the domino effect on various parts of the health and care system, the need to reschedule electives and outpatient appointments. and anticipation of a return to a very large number of emergency calls.
She said: “Of particular concern are patients who may have been delayed in seeking care – and whose condition has worsened – who are now entering treatment.”
Hospital leaders again called for urgent negotiations, including on wages, between health ministers and unions to avoid further strikes in the future. The call came as the grandmother of a two-week-old boy who was struggling to breathe during a five-hour wait for an ambulance said “lives were in danger” amid ongoing NHS strikes.
Former general practice administrator Deb Robinson, 53, said her son and his partner called 911 at 6 p.m. Tuesday and were told their newborn, who was struggling with breathing and coughing, needed ER.
The parents of a child who is waiting on a bed in the emergency room had to take him to the hospital at 11:00 p.m., but they would have picked him up earlier if they knew that the wait would be so long.
“(They) are still in the emergency room with nine other minors waiting in bed. He’s on oxygen and has bronchiolitis,” Derby’s Ms Robinson said on Wednesday afternoon.
“A small child who needs oxygen is several hours late. I sympathize, I sympathize, I know that not everyone wanted to go on strike, but life is in danger.
“It’s good that his breathing didn’t get worse or his cough didn’t get worse … I don’t have answers, (but) when everyone takes care of patients the way they say, I can’t understand why they” physically go on strike and, leaving her, take off their positions.”
While the baby continues to receive oxygen, Ms Robinson also explained that her 78-year-old father, who was due to have hip surgery on Dec. 20 after three years of waiting, canceled the surgery a few days before due to a strike. government. nurses. in North Wales.
“He’s in a lot of pain and takes so many painkillers to survive at home,” Ms Robinson said. “My dad is a very proud man who sometimes worked three jobs… (He) worked all his life away from home until he had to retire. (No) new date, it’s stressful because I live far away.
Emergency services and hospitals across the country have been reporting critical incidents this week due to “ongoing” and “unprecedented” pressure on services. Surrey Heartlands and Portsmouth University Hospitals Trust were among the latest to do so on Wednesday afternoon.
Surrey Heartlands, which includes the Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust, said the increasing sickness of staff, combined with intense pressure, left them no choice. Some non-urgent surgeries and appointments have been canceled to focus on the sickest patients.
Dr. Tim Cooksley, president of the Society for Emergency Medicine, said the situation in the emergency department and emergency department was “unbearable for both patients and staff.”
He said: “Patients have to wait unacceptably long for a bed in emergency hospitals and inpatient wards. The backlog of emergency care can be seen daily in the corridors of our emergency department. Emergency care is provided by teams in emergency departments and not in optimal conditions. This has been happening for quite some time and is now almost universal in all hospitals.
“Today’s strike exacerbated this situation; it’s not causal. The number of hospitals that reported critical incidents prior to the strike reflect the intense pressure and poor experience of patients with acute conditions that currently exist. The Christmas season will be very difficult.”
Dr Cooksley said there was little hope for short-term improvements and urged ministers to urgently release “sustainable staffing and capacity plans” to boost staff and patient morale.
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.