One student paramedic, fed up and frustrated by the wait for 22 ambulances to arrive at his hospital, said that they had been stuck there for six hours.
They were stuck at the bottom of the queue, and the frustrated doctor said they hadn’t moved in 6 hours at Torbay Hospital in Devon.
Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust both apologised for any delays. They said that they were the result of hospital pressures for many months.
DevonLive received a report from Torbay Hospital, Devon: “Currently at the rear of 22 ambulance queues. There has been no movement for 6 hours. Hospital is full, staff broken. It is impossible to sustain this situation.
Staff and patients are also being affected. South Devon’s NHS just went bankrupt. It was possible to repair this but I’m not sure.
Ian Currie, medical director at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, told The Sun: ‘Like many hospitals across the country, we have been under sustained pressure in our emergency department for several months now.
“Currently, extreme pressure has impacted our ability to admit patients quickly. Ambulances have been waiting for patients to be discharged and are unable to get people seen as fast as they would like.
Video footage of a long line of ambulances outside Torbay Hospital in Devon
“We apologize to anyone who has been waiting to be treated.
According to The Sun: Staff at the hospital are in shock after having their Christmas parties cancelled because of fears about the newly-emerged Omicron Covid variation.
Also, reports suggest that waiting times at Torbay Hospital’s emergency department can reach 13 hours.
DevonLive heard from the student-medic who captured the footage, that they believed the NHS in Devon would be fixed.
Omicron’s variant puts even more stress on the healthcare system, as it has to cope with winter pressures.
The new strain has meant that the NHS is set to scrap yet more routine operations in order for staff to shift their attentions to the UK’s booster vaccine target of 50 million jabs before the end of January, health leaders have warned.
Boris Johnson, the president of the United States has pledged to give all eligible citizens a booster Covid vaccination by January end to safeguard the nation against the Omicron wave.
Already at an all time high in terms of staff shortages, waiting lists are at an all time high. Health officials say this will result in a reduction of planned operations as well as health scans.
Sajid Javid, health secretary, said that prioritizing Covid vaccination over dealing with the massive NHS backlogs is a change in focus. In June, he stated previously that the top priority was to address the backlogs and insisted that the country must learn to deal with Covid.