Patients are crammed like laying hens in “dangerous” conditions in the infirmaries, but a shortage of physiotherapists means they can’t be fired, striking workers warn.
Up to 4,500 members of the Certified Society of Physiotherapists (CSP) from 33 trusts in England are today in a dispute with the government over wages and conditions.
Davina Lambie, a cancer and palliative care physiotherapist in east England who is among the strikers, said staff shortages mean physios cannot evaluate or discharge enough patients who have entered through the doors, and overcrowding has led to high-risk conditions. .
Hospitals are stuck treating eight patients in hospitals designed for six, she said. I.
“Physically, this means people are sticking together like chickens in batteries, in an area where cross-contamination is a problem and in an area where our own manual actions are dangerous,” she said.
Ms Lambie said physical therapists play a critical role in assessing whether patients are healthy enough to be released from the hospital and making room for others.
“We are trying to make it so that they can walk up the stairs, enter their house, leave the closet, get out of bed, have a cup of tea and answer the phone if they need to.”
The problem with queuing for ambulances at the front doors was also linked to delays in the discharge of patients on the other side. “A lot of people just can’t go home without physical therapy,” she said.
Conditions were “unsustainable” as staff tried to get patients out of ambulances even if they could find a seat in the hallway, but this often meant patients had no chair to sit on or a table to eat.
Ms. Lambi has 14 years of experience and specializes in cancer and palliative care. She said physiotherapy for cancer patients is waning as professionals divert to other roles. Cancer patients are particularly vulnerable to complications, such as pneumonia, and can develop depression if locked up in hospitals longer than necessary, she said.
“I’m upset because I know this can be prevented. That’s why people are so emotional when they go on strike, because although they don’t want to go on strike, they think it’s the only way to draw attention to what’s going on in our hospitals,” she added. .
Sam Long is a respiratory physiotherapist working in medical, surgical, geriatric and intensive care units in Hampshire. Part of their role is to help patients clear out secretions from their chests to make their breathing easier.
She agreed that the patients were late leaving the hospital because the physical therapists were overworked, adding: “It’s just a continuous cycle of seeing these patients and getting them home, but we don’t have the staff to do that. Due to the wage crisis, we are unable to hire or retain employees and it is a vicious circle.”
Ms Long, who has 13 years of experience as a physical therapist, says she lives “month after month” and can’t save, vacation with her son, or seriously consider expanding her family, even though she and her partner both have income. two full salaries.
“It’s frustrating, there’s really no other word for it. I feel like I should be able to save money and do things with my family, but I can’t because we just don’t have the money for it.”
CSP has long advocated inflation-adjusted wage increases. Elaine Sparks, deputy director of labor relations at CSP, said the union met with the government on 9 January but that meeting was only about next year’s wage demand and not last year’s £1,400 wage supplement, with which the union disagrees.
There has been “nothing but silence” from the government since the last strike on Jan. 26, Ms Sparks said. “We had absolutely no meaningful discussion of the central issue that sparked this controversy.”
The union also cited data from NHS England showing vacancies for physiotherapists in England at 8.9%, equivalent to 2,000 jobs.
Physiotherapists in Wales were also planning to go on strike today but have been canceled following a recent proposal from the Welsh government.
Ms Sparks acknowledged that some physical therapy appointments at 33 trusts will be canceled due to strikes on Thursday. Appointments in hospitals and public health clinics may be cancelled, which may affect some patients with stroke and cancer.
According to her, all patients with canceled appointments were notified in advance.
“Our members have also worked hard with the trusts to provide services during strikes. They will continue to provide life-saving emergency care, including resuscitation and back-up ventilator services.”
A spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services said it was “unfortunate” that some union members are taking further strikes at a time when the NHS is already under pressure.
“The Minister of Health and Welfare has held constructive meetings with unions, including the Certified Society of Physiotherapists, and it is clear that he wants to continue discussing what is fair and affordable as part of the 2023/24 remuneration process.”