NHS bosses say winter stress is inflicting stress as dangerous because the pandemic

NHS bosses say pressures in accident and emergency models are as dangerous as they had been through the Covid pandemic.

Professor Sir Stephen Powis, medical director of NHS England, stated that as a result of continued rise in flu circumstances and the chilly climate, hospitals had been beneath “extraordinary pressure” and going through “huge demand”.

And some staff had been saying the stress was feeling “like some of our days during the height of the pandemic.”

It comes as flu circumstances proceed to rise, with the common variety of sufferers affected by the virus in England's hospitals rising to greater than 5,400 a day over the previous week – nearly 1,000 greater than per week earlier.

Nearly 20 NHS trusts in England have introduced critical incidents this week, with lengthy delays in A&E.

The Welsh Ambulance Service additionally declared a critical incident final week

And earlier this week, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine warned that hospitals in Scotland had been in “lockdown”.

Sir Stephen stated: “It is hard to overestimate how difficult it is for front-line staff at the moment – ​​some staff working in A&E say their days at work feel like days Like we spent during the peak of the pandemic.”

The number of flu patients is three times higher than last year and on par with the beginning of 2023 – one of the worst flu seasons in many years.

Saffron Corddry of NHS Providers, which represents health managers, said the combination of cold weather and flu meant a “brutal” start to the new year.

“We're not out of the woods yet,” she said.

“Things are likely to get worse before they get better.

“The stress and strain on emergency services is a major concern, with many patients facing long waits for ambulances and A&ES.”

Liz Shearer, one of many to share her experiences about the care being provided, told BBC News that her elderly mother spent 30 hours on a trolley in a hospital corridor after she collapsed in her care home last week. Had spent more time.

“I've by no means skilled something like this in my life,” he said.

“It was like a Victorian workhouse.

“The nurses were saying how bad it was and they were saying they just had to deal with it.”

Yvonne Wolstenholme spent 13 hours in A&E, after her GP sent her there because she was struggling to breathe.

“It was absolutely massive pain,” he said.

“Workers are buried under snow.

“They really are running around like headless chickens and it's not due to lack of skills, but lack of time to see individual patients.

“When I was there, there were at least eight ambulance crews waiting to hand over patients – and obviously they wouldn't be on the streets if they were waiting there.”

Official figures released on Thursday show:

• The average ambulance response time for a life-threatening category-one call such as cardiac arrest was eight minutes 40 seconds in December – the target is seven.
• For category-two calls, which include heart attacks and strokes, it was 47 minutes 26 seconds — the target is 18.
• Only 71% of patients attending A&E were seen and treated or admitted within the four-hour target time

However, for routine treatment, hospital waiting lists fell to 7.48 million at the end of November – down from 7.54 million a month earlier and down from a record high of 7.77 million set in September 2023.

Dr Tim Cooksley, of the Society for Acute Medicine, said the NHS was facing a “catastrophic” crisis over the winter.

He said: “The reality for patients and staff is that the corridors are filled with patients who are experiencing abusive care, they are being treated in the back of ambulances because there is simply no space in the hospital and this inevitably results in causing enormous physical and emotional harm.”

“The fundamental issue is that capacity shortages persist throughout the year – a difficult flu season should not be used as a political excuse for the current situation.”