Covid caused by the double-digit increase in NHS staff in England has risen to 28,000 in just two weeks. Prime Minister David Cameron is asked to announce a rescue strategy.
Nearly 255,000 employees became ill or were self-isolating due to the virus Boxing Day. That’s twice the amount of staff who fell ill a week earlier, when more than 12,000 people were at home.
Nearly 28,000 Covid absentees were reported on December 23, which is the highest recorded figure since last month’s publication of the data by NHS.
Daisy Cooper, Liberal Democrat Health spokesperson said that the numbers confirm that ‘hospitals and ambulance services have been stretched to breaking point. Boris Johnson was urged to convene a Cobra meeting to discuss a plan for rescuing the hospital.
Matthew Taylor, the chief executive officer of the NHS Confederation said that the NHS faces a “perfect storm” of increasing Covid hospital admissions, illness, and frontline workers getting sicker.
Separate figures from NHS England showed that Covid patients were at an all-time high of around 11.500, which is the highest since February.
Taylor explained that although the NHS plans to provide additional support through community services, virtual wards, and Nightingale surge Hubs for patients, it is also planning to move up in the NHS’s favor once more.
“Whilst the Government appears determined not to increase restrictions on England, it’s vital that we behave as a community in a manner that doesn’t exacerbate an already serious situation.”
Stephen Powis is the NHS England National Medical Director. He said that NHS England has set up Nightingale surge centres at various hospitals and recruited thousands of nurses.
He added: ‘We don’t yet know the full scale of rising Omicron cases and how this will affect people needing NHS treatment but, having hit a 10-month high for the number of patients in hospital with Covid while wrestling with sharply increasing staff absences, we are doing everything possible to free up beds and get people home to their loved ones – and in the last week hundreds more beds were freed up each day compared to the week before.
“The NHS has been placed on a war footing and staff are prepared for any eventuality. With Covid absences almost tripling in the last fortnight for NHS staff, the NHS will need to ensure that as many of its colleagues remain at work and minimise absences in the coming weeks.
Ministers were warned to be prepared to apply restraints ‘at speed’ to cope with an influx of Covid-19 patients.
Chris Hopson (chief executive at NHS Providers) stated that while trust leaders acknowledge that the UK Government has not yet reached its threshold to introduce extra measures in England, they also recognize that more capacity will be needed in case of increased hospital pressures.
The highest coronavirus patient count since March 2nd, according to data from the UK government.
Nightclubs in Scotland and Wales are now closed for New Year’s Eve revelers. There have also been restrictions on hospitality.
However, in England ministers have chosen to forego measures that go beyond what the UK Government has planned for Plan B. This includes Covid passes mandatory for large events, greater mask-wearing public places and guidance from at home.
Hopson is the chief executive officer of the Omicron-related group that represents England’s health trusts. He said it would take at least two weeks for the hospital admission rates to drop even with extra controls.
According to him, BBC Radio 4’s Today program stated that it is the Government, not the NHS who makes the restrictions rules. We also know that the Government set high limits for the introduction of new restrictions.
“So trust leaders will be able to see the reason why the government is asserting that there has not been a significant increase in older seriously ill patients entering hospitals, and that this threshold has not been reached yet.
“But, we don’t yet know if there will be a surge. And we’re talking exactly about the preparations that we’re making now for that surge.
“So we are at the exact same point in terms restrictions that we were for the past fortnight. The Government should be available to introduce stricter restrictions quickly if necessary.
Nightingale hubs at hospitals are being set up to handle a “super-surge” in Covid cases. Mr Hopson stated that this would force the NHS into an emergency mode to cope with staff shortages and partly because of high levels coronavirus infectivity.
According to him, volunteers and retired workers in health were asked to help staff the hubs. These hubs would serve patients who are ‘effectively over the worst’ and ready for discharge.
The announcement came at a time when a prominent scientist stated that Omicron will likely cause a major disruption to the NHS.
Professor Peter Openshaw sits on Nervtag’s New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group. He stated that while we don’t seem to have crossed the threshold set by the Government regarding NHS overload, it seems like this will happen very quickly.
“What’s most concerning to me is my NHS staff. My dear colleagues have been working so hard through these repeated outbreaks of the infection. What are their plans?