Britain’s top Gynecologist has warned that pregnant women may not get the care they need if Covid cases keep rising.
Edward Morris, president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, warned that maternity staff are under ‘immense pressure.
He added that the many women and girls waiting for gynaecological procedures ‘with no end in sight’ could face further limbo if the Covid surge is not dealt with.
Dr Morris’s warnings were issued after Covid hospitalisations reached 1,000 for only the sixth time in six week.
However, yesterday’s cases were lower than the previous week, indicating that the worst of the current epidemic may have passed.
If cases continue to rise, maternity wards may become overwhelmed by Covid pressures. Women and girls could be denied the care that they need. Britain’s most respected gynecologist has issued a warning.
The Government has maintained that it is not too late for the ‘Plan B’ winter strategy. However, the figures are ‘fully in-line’ with what was expected.
“Plan B” would see measures like indoor face masks, Covid passports and WFH reintroduced.
Health bosses have already urged the Government to adopt ‘Plan B’ measures. There are fears that the NHS is heading towards a winter crisis with flu and Covid in circulation, and a record-breaking backlog of cancelled operations to catch up on.
Dr. Morris is the latest prominent voice to raise concern about the rising number of Covid cases.
He told the Guardian that the college was concerned about situation maternity staff could face this winter.
‘The Covid pandemic is far from over and we’re becoming increasingly concerned about the immense pressures facing our maternity staff this winter if the situation continues as it is,’ he said.
‘We’re also aware of the many women and girls who are suffering with gynaecological conditions that are currently on extensive waiting lists with no end in sight.
“With the rising number of Covid cases, it is possible that the NHS will soon be unable to provide the care it needs or manage the huge backlog it has already created.”
According to a July report, more than 1.5million NHS operations in England were delayed or cancelled in 2020. This number is expected to rise to over 2million by the end.
Dr Morris stated that maternity personnel who were redeployed in order to help other parts the NHS during the first Covid Wave must be allowed this winter to continue their specialist work.
He added that he knew that maternity staff were redeployed to other areas of the hospital during the first pandemic wave.
“We urge NHS trusts to avoid this at all cost.”
It’s a record 325,000 booster shots in one day. More than 800,000 people received their third jab over three days. Queues recurred at all the centres across the country as more people queued up for their third jab.
I was in a coma for a month after Virus left me.
Claire Bromley, 33-year-old mother-to-be, spent nearly a month in hospital with Covid. She said that the risk outweighed any doubts about the vaccine.
She was admitted to hospital with breathing problems in Kent a few days after she tested positive. She was placed on a ventilator and put into a medically induced sleep coma.
At 26 weeks, doctors feared she might need an emergency c-section. Her condition improved and her pregnancy is now normal.
She stated that the risk of not getting the vaccine far outweighs any doubts about it.
Claire Bromley, 33-year-old from Kent, was admitted to hospital after contracting coronavirus during pregnancy
Other NHS heads have also urged Dr Morris to urge the Government to implement ‘Plan B” restrictions now to prevent NHS care being put at risk.
Dr Chaand Nagpaul of the British Medical Association stated that the refusal to implement Plan B measures was a case of ‘wilful negligence.
Matthew Taylor, chief executive officer of the NHS Confederation (which represents health trusts), said that it was better not to regret it later.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists urges pregnant women to get the Covid and Flu vaccines to protect their babies this winter.
Flu can be very severe for pregnant women, their babies, and sometimes lead to stillbirth, maternal deaths, and miscarriage.
The colleges warn that it is possible to get flu and Covid simultaneously, which could lead to serious complications for pregnant women.
Antivaxxers make false claims that vaccines have caused harm to mothers and children. Data however show that there has been no such damage.
After it was revealed earlier this month, that unvaccinated females make up a majority of the population, the plea was made. Nearly a fifth (25%) of the most severely ill Covid patients are now in intensive care.
NHS England reported that 17 percent of Covid patients treated with a special pulmonary bypass machine were not vaccinated.
Data also showed that 32% of all women between 16 and 49 years old were pregnant. This is the machine that is used to remove ventilators from patients whose lungs have been so damaged by Covid.
NHS England said that this figure has increased from six per cent at March 2020’s start of the pandemic.
Even with no winter Covid pressures, England’s maternity units were shaken by allegations that staff-on–staff bullying was putting babies’ health at risk.
A report from the health-watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC), published last month found that four in ten maternity units are failing to meet basic safety standards.
The CQC warned that a ‘culture of bullying’ was creating a hostile working environment in some hospitals, with 41 per cent of maternity services rated as either inadequate or requiring improvement.
The report based on nine inspections of hospitals from March to June, highlighted a culture of ‘cover-ups when things went wrong’.
It was discovered Despite pressure to reform after a series high-profile scandals at Telford and Shrewsbury Hospitals, the NHS continues to let pregnant women down.