To ask what can be done immediately to take the pressure off the NHS?

[Twinklenoseblows]

I've been reading stories about people waiting 4 days in A&E, people being taken into A&E in the back of a van with a broken hip as there are no ambulances ,and doctors and nurses pleading for something to be done right now as lives are at risk. But what can be done that would make a difference within the next week or two?

Promises of more money and more staff will presumably take years to filter through and make a difference.

I guess what is worrying me beyond the immediate crisis is that some bright spark in government is going to say we need a circuit breaker lockdown to reduce flu and covid admissions for the next few months to take some immediate pressure off. The thought fills me with horror so I'm hoping there is something else.

E.g. as a very short term measure could some people be diverted to make use of any spare private GP capacity to try to reduce the number of people going to A&E who could instead be dealt with by a GP if only they could get an appointment. Or is that madness?

Social care. If everyone waiting in a hospital bed for social care was placed immediately like they were during COVID, this would be solved overnight.

Local councils are leaving people in hospital to save money. It's immensely more complicated and fragmented than that, but that is the difference this winter.

A government asleep at the wheel has let this happen. They have failed on every level including policy. ☹️

@Agsiajva It must be incredibly difficult for you and your colleagues. It absolutely is a humanitarian crisis.

Totally agree!

Not this. The first part of this is nonsense.

The NHS is blocked up because of the ageing population, not because of smokers who tend to die younger.

The NHS is struggling because of bed blocking. That's because of ever older people with increasing ill health.

But keep believing the spin that people are bringing it on themselves. 🙄

Lots of people refuse to have relatives back to their house. Most elderly people do not live with younger members of the family. So you would be taking them to their house alone.
People know that the NHS can not discharge someone to their own home if they can't feed or do basic care without putting a care package in. If they want to care for them themselves, they already do this.

The same horrible bastards that abuse them in the first place, that abuse children, that beat their wives, that assault nurses who are looking after their relatives.

I don’t disagree with your point entirely, there are some relatives that could do a bit more. There are many, many relatives providing full time care for the elderly and dealing with it 24/7, which is causing detrimental effects to their own health. I’ve had many patients admitted who are carers for elderly relatives, the admission of my patient is an admission for their elderly relative/s also as they have no one else to care for them.

How much do you want to spend? Open nightingale hospitals for ‘medically fit’ people to ease the bed blockage?

And who is going to staff them?

Ah I see, my apologies.

Could an emergency nursing nightingale be set up with agency nursing staff that would take from say a 20-30mile radius of the hospitals, to deliver the care, but move them out of the hospital ward?

So basically an off-site ward?

@RobertaFirmino Interestingly if you want to not be a burden on the NHS then my advice would be-

• keep a healthy weight
• do not smoke
• exercise
• moderate alcohol consumption
• do not take illegal drugs
• do not ride motorbikes
• do not go horse riding or skiing
• do not take part in dangerous sports like rock climbing or rugby
• do not get in between dogs fighting
• finish your antibiotics
• do not live in cold or damp housing

100% agree

@MoscowMules Yes if the government gave the extra funding for it.

there isn’t enough agency nurses to staff new hospitals, there is barely enough agency nurses to bring current NHS hospitals up to a safe and legal ratio. (I speak as an nhs staff nurse and also an agency nurse)

@Yellowshirt · Today 00:16

The first thing they need to do is control immigration

Is that you, Rishi? 🙄
FFS

If we want to set up new nightingale hospitals (an idea in principle I don’t disagree with) I think we need to figure out where the RNs are coming from.

A state of emergency needs declared and the diversion of certain workers to the nhs to work in care and support roles (almost like national service) would certainly be a short term improvement and perhaps could staff these hospitals. There is still a severe lack of registered nurses, doctors and other HCPs though

Weirdly I don't think it would need too much funding, if a national emergency was called, the armed forces could erect and staff these.

They would just be "field hospitals" and the military nurses and Dr's could run them.

The patient's would be "medically fit" as you say, so it's basic care and welfare to be monitored hopefully.

We need more immigration, fling open the borders and let the registered nurses flood in. Let the physios, doctors and care workers flood in. Immigrants are keeping us afloat in this crisis, along with unpaid students. I’d personally be happy to swap out three racists for one immigrant, that would certainly help the current crisis. @Yellowshirt

Of course there will be people with no one, for whatever reason. Fortunately most people are loved, valued family members. Enough of them that, if they were moved into family homes it would have an immediate effect on the NHS.

It isn't a permanent or even long term solution. But it would release beds and take the pressure off our hospitals.

I work in the 3rd sector from crisis mental health, to vulnerable elderly, people battling addiction. I support the most vulnerable in society on a daily basis. I've been vomited on, urinated on, spat at, administered Naloxone, helped elderly people move about their home or done their shopping for them

I'd volunteer a shifts as some sort of HCP for you a week, if it helped the crisis. I know a few of my staff who would raise their hands to help also.

@TooBigForMyBoots You can't make people care for an elderly relative. Most would simply refuse. I am not sure you understand the level of work involved.
And lots of elderly people are sadly not valued and cherished members of an extended family. Plenty either have no close family, or no one that is interested. That is why many have no visitors when they are in care homes.

As I understand it, we don't need medical care now that we have "sovereignty"

Brexit was going to fix the NHS, wasn't it?

m.youtube.com/watch?v=-Q8xM8-XkRA&feature=youtu.be

Until we have better social care and or more beds, the genuinely unwell will be left to wait for beds to become available (but should still be receiving care). The biggest issue is the absolute entitlement and inability to self care by the general public. The numbers who come in within hours of an episode of vomiting or they’ve coughed over the last day and think there’s a magic cure is worrying. No one wants to be sick but there are lots not prepared to be sick. These are also the same people who persist in demanding how many people are in front, regularly asking for the waiting time and become annoyed when it’s the same answer. There’s the ‘just in case’ group who come in because they are scared to make a decision but are disgusted they must wait. We get people ringing around for A&E waiting times…so you’re not an emergency. We have people come in for 2nd opinions hours after seeing GP’s because the prescription isn’t working quick enough, having taken one tablet. The list goes on but it’s worrying how many simply don’t have the confidence to care for themselves and need a pill, but haven’t even tried paracetamol themselves. If we could get self care right it would definitely help.

@Agsiajva - whoever was going to staff the nightingales during covid. Armed forces, St John ambulance, train new staff members (like people who ran the vaccine centres). Agree that immigrants are a vital part of nhs. But govt should also pay staff better to also retain the experienced staff (immigrants and non immigrants).

@BradfordGirl - agree that in the past women did a lot of the unseen labour of looking after young, elderly, vulnerable relatives. Now with 2 salaries often required to pay rent/bills, it becomes very hard. Many women (and a few men) do care for relatives on top of a full time job, but sometimes (especially with dementia or low physical mobility) the need is too great.

We can't make anyone do anything @BradfordGirl. The OP asked what could be done immediately to take the pressure off the NHS?

I get that it's not a comfortable, convenient or longterm solution, but it would take the pressure off the NHS.

We have to start paying I think. Free services should be means tested. Even if everyone (not the ones claiming benefits) pays £10 towards appointments it will help a lot, and to pay their staff properly