As politicians of all stripes promise how they will solve problems in the NHS, I talked to those who are on the front lines of the fight against the growing crisis. These are their stories.
Doctor: Dr. Helen Salisbury, Oxford
“The last few weeks have been the busiest in general medicine I have ever seen. The majority of patients who present to the emergency room on a daily basis develop a cough that may be flu-like or covid-like. Parents fear that their child with a sore throat may develop scarlet fever and be at risk of invasive Streptococcus A.
“We need more staff to meet the huge demand. In fact, acting doctors conduct additional sessions. Antibiotic shortages due to the Streptococcus A panic also made life difficult.
“Knowing that when a critically ill patient is admitted to the hospital, there will probably be a lack of resources influenced my decision to leave people at home, although ideally I would send them for further treatment.
“When hospitalization is unavoidable, waiting for an ambulance is now the last resort, chosen only when no other transport is available. My patients don’t feel safe right now.”
paramedic: Simon Day, West Midlands
“On Christmas Day, I spent seven hours of my 12-hour shift in the emergency room parking lot, waiting to take a patient to the hospital. The ambulance service in our country has suffered from such delays for the past two years, and the situation is not getting better – in fact, this Christmas has clearly proven that it will only get worse.
“ERs have had to improve the care they provide to their patients during this time by learning to take care of their patients by spending more and more time with them in a tin box in the parking lot.”
YOUNG DOCTOR: Dr. Jatinder Khair, Newly Qualified ER, South East
“As the NHS entered winter, the utter darkness of being on the front lines of the NHS began to dissipate inexorably: there had never been a winter like this before. The chaos and turmoil we face day after day continues; but for patients it is dangerous.
“The recent headline of 500 deaths per week due to emergency room delays came as no surprise; After 13 years of government mismanagement and austerity ideology, we have reached a turning point.
“A typical day in the hospital now begins and ends with a cacophony of desperation for patients waiting in the hallways for their beds. The revolving door of injustice.”
CONSULTANT: Dr Kevin O’Kane, Emergency Internal Medicine Specialist, London
“Having worked as an NHS physician for 35 years, I have never experienced such intense and prolonged clinical pressure.
“NHS staff are exhausted and desperate. Trainee doctors are leaving the profession or leaving the country in search of more sustainable and much higher paying jobs, and disease rates are breaking records. Colleagues of my generation are thinking about early retirement with a reduction in pensions.
“There are daily gaps in the lists when colleagues hold positions of more than one person. There is plenty of burnout. The situation is unbearable.
“Hospitals everywhere are running out of emergency beds as patients are ‘outside’ in surgical wards causing campaign events to be cancelled. Forget the political promises of a ‘recovery from Covid’ – waiting times will be much worse.”
NURSE: David Carr, London
“How would you describe the anger and despair we are experiencing right now? I spent 40 years in the NHS, 32 years as a nurse, 23 years in intensive care.
“I have to be absolutely honest, the politicians who currently run our National Health Service are unproductive, I am sick of their quiet lies and distortions.
“I watched [Health Secretary] Steve Barclay recently explained that there are now more nurses in the NHS. This is at a time when every shift is short and we carry the burden of 47,000 missing colleagues with every report.
“It is heartbreaking that such an important ministry is run by such insincere liars. These politicians will never see in person the consequences of their managerial failures, thousands of unnecessary Covid deaths, canceled surgeries, lives and families forever changed by poor or untimely care, junior staff overworked, and complete burnout of seniors.
“The collapse of an institution that we have been rightfully proud of for so long is unforgivable. They have blood on their hands, and unlike what happens to them in the performance of my duty, their blood will not be washed away.”
ELDERLY DOCTOR: “Robert”, Wales
“Across the country, people are dying in hospitals because they don’t get treatment. I have seen it, many others have seen it. It’s really not uncommon. And this is not due to insufficient training of employees. If only because patients have to wait so long for help.
“Like many other residents, I will quit my full-time job and work part-time as an observer. It’s not just about the money, it’s also about the conditions we have to work in and the hours we have to work to make up for any shortage of staff.
“I would say it’s about finding work-life balance, but it’s really about finding some sort of life.”
NHS CAMPAIGN: Dr. Tony O’Sullivan, Co-Chair of Keep Our NHS Public
“The crisis in our National Health Service is now a national emergency. The shocking scenes we are seeing are nothing short of a complete dereliction of duty on the part of the government, which can now change this if it wants to. The government must stop bullying the public and NHS staff into denying there is a crisis and act now to save our healthcare system from total collapse.
“Ignoring the crisis does not get rid of it. To make things better, NHS staff need to be respected and retained by resolving pay disputes; Emergency funding should be provided by the NHS, and social assistance and places to step down (by requesting hedge fund nursing homes and private hospital beds where appropriate) should be used to increase system capacity.
“Politicians have let down their people and let down a service that was the best in the world in 2010. Keep Our NHS Public will never stop working to bring the NHS back to the brink and back to full health.
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.