The hospital I work in is so quiet

[QuietHospital]

London hospital.
Half empty. Some wards have less than a handful of patients, some wards are closed. Most staff have been moved to wards so are falling over selves. While their regular work goes undone.
A&E very quiet. I’ve sent patients there who are seen immediately. The heart attacks, strokes and appendicitis cases are presenting too late. People with covid are waiting too long to present. If you get breathless then for goodness sake come in. I’m so cross at the initial advice to stay home until struggling.
Had a look through covid ward lists and vast majority patients are aged over 70. Hardly any patients under 60, those who are have underlying health problems for the most part. Lots more men than women affected.
It’s just a snapshot but echoed by colleagues in other hospitals.
I think we can / should start to move back to normal life soon for the well young people among us. I fear for the short and longer term economic hit. It’s crazy to have all these young well people furloughed or made redundant.

Round here it's the same, the hospital is empty. I honestly think more people will die as a result of postponing treatment or being refused hospital admission than covid.

I agree it wouldn’t have coped. It could be it’s coped because only a bare minimum of other admissions has happened. I’m due for an eye operation. No date yet and I now think this will be some way down the line. If the condition worsens, it’s irreversible.

It’s widely reported that other clinicians are not seeing the volume of patients they would normally expect. From all the media coverage it’s been very clear that hospitals have been pushed to the limit. This is the message that we have heard and seen. We haven’t been bombarded with pleas to turn up to hospital with other concerns. I did notice on a Newsnight programme last week that they followed a Dr into hospital and she went down what appeared to be a corridor full of empty wards even then. I commented to my DH that the hospital looked like a ghost town. She then arrived on the COVID ward and obviously it was frantic. The staff interviewed about this crisis have always been asked about equipment and workload and upset, (not surprisingly) so it seemed as though it was the only illness that was being treated. I have no doubt everyone else thought not to bother to turn up. In the case of outpatients, many were told not to turn up.

It may be no bad thing that drunks fighting and filing up A&E has stopped. Or all the other minor ailments that don’t really need expensive attention - but some other conditions do need attention. So the message needs to change because austerity does cost lives but a partially functioning NHS will cost even more.

Chris Witty said last week to go to hospital if your ill. Trouble is with the daily briefings they have , this type of message gets lost amongst other questions that come up about other concerns.

there, not their. excuse typos. I need more coffee!

I work in a community mental health team. We are still busy, trying to support and assess over the phone. We are being asked to support our inpatient units as well. I know my district nurse colleagues are busy also as community staff are tasked with keeping people out of hospital and assisting in facilitating speedy hospital discharge alongside their usual work. Must admit it breeds some resentment know hospital staff (in some areas) are eating pizza and bored...

Huge amount of conspiracy and propaganda.

Yes this thread easily filling with posts by posters falsely stating they are HCP.

My young relative with cancer has been denied their treatment, they live across the road from the hospital where it is, but can't access it.

Regardless of lockdown think they need to work on reinstating other treatments, as the OP says reassuring people about 'green' and 'red' zones, and having COVID hospitals in different areas. Maybe there is time to do this, now.

Not to mention the DNR forms being sent to those with epilepsy and the parents of children with autism. Can someone explain that to me?

Also, apparently hospices are struggling and need more support

But it wouldn't be, because in most cases it is a mild illness which won't kill you
Oh well in that case why bother with lockdown and social distancing at all? Just go wherever you want and spread Covid to everyone, it doesn’t matter because in most cases it’s a mild illness.

No. You don’t get to kill someone else so you can live.
Erm - isn't this the basis of "self defense"?
Self defence is when you kill someone who’s attacking you. It’s not self defence when you’re the one attacking an innocent person. Which is exactly what you’re doing when they’re innocently sitting there and you rock up with a killer virus, knowing full well you’re not supposed to go there if you’re infected.

But The80s people are being denied treatment for things like cancer etc. What is he saying people CAN get treatment for? Or is he ranking a heart attack above someone with an aggressive blood cancer? It seems ridiculous to me. How are you supposed to judge whether your condition should be treated?

The end of lockdown will need to happen in a safe way, to ensure it doesn't spread the disease uncontrollably. I do worry about immunocompromised patients catching it when they're in hospital getting treatment for something else but I don't think it's the right thing to deny anyone care. Or to postpone it indefinitely.

It’s not self defence when you’re the one attacking an innocent person. Which is exactly what you’re doing when they’re innocently sitting there and you rock up with a killer virus, knowing full well you’re not supposed to go there if you’re infected

Are you suggesting that someone struggling to breathe and seriously ill with Covid should not be allowed medical care in a hospital? Is this what you are saying?

It is an interesting thought about the whole ' protect the nhs' not them protect us!

Yes, very interesting. Hadn't thought of it this way. Strange narrative, and quite wrong too. It's absolutely bizarre that the NHS 'shop is closed' to anything other than the severest CV cases.

I absolutely think they need to tier and phase the lockdown as in ease it up for different populations at different times. I reiterate it doesn't have to be a all or nothing approach. The government also must allow smaller businesses to open again.

The whole I love the NHS campaign, grassroot or not (is it?) is really very strange indeed.

Yep my friend has a 10 year old with cystic fibrosis. Was sent a DNR form. She didn’t sign it. But seriously?

We are getting this so wrong.

Just thinking about cancer and no other illnesses, having had a quick look at some Macmillan stats - these were from 2016 so I am assuming stats are still similar - there were nearly 1000 new cases of cancer per day in the UK. It would be very interesting to see what the stats are for cancer diagnosis over the lockdown period and there will be a huge backlog of testing required after as cancer is not on lockdown for the period. I would imagine people are putting of getting things checked out that they would normally do due to feeling like they will be a burden on the NHS.

Ezira if you were home with a child or partner struggling to breathe and no help was coming due to back log what would you do?

Not to mention the DNR forms being sent to those with epilepsy and the parents of children with autism. Can someone explain that to me?

Personally I think they should be sent to everyone. The discussions need to be had. Resuscitation is brutal and rarely successful, it isn’t like the tv at all.

Plus it isn’t “do not treat”. It’s if you have died do you want someone jumping up and down on your chest, breaking a few ribs, multiple electric shocks, invasive lines and pathways created into your body for drugs...

You will still get all other treatment and medication to try and save your life when you are alive.

@Delatron I'm so sorry for your friend. It's all shocking. Sending out forms like that to any parents is appalling. I couldn't believe it when my friend said autism was on the list. It's not even a physical pre existing condition. What the hell?

I do understand about cancer patients. It's a shame the media are not picking up on this. Chris Witty pointed out that anyone poorly should go to hospital. He didn't mention people already in the system having treatment having their treatment suspended.
It is wrong and it appears we're not getting the whole picture ( unless you are unfortunate enough to be in this situation yourself) I wasn't aware this was happening.
I didn't mean to offend anyone.

The deaths are very much in the older age group so if younger people could be released it might help a great deal. The Professors from Oxford snd Edinburgh made good points on Newsnight yesterday about an earlier release from lockdown than it appears is being considered. The best stats I could find from ONS are attached.

@Delatron that's shocking! Imagine even suggesting DNR for a 10 year old.

My friend is a nurse, says the same thing about her hospital. Paediatrics is practically empty and the children that do come in are REALLY ill as parents are waiting too long to bring them in (not Covid related, just other things)

Read the whole thread through and am just appalled. So the government is happy to allow people to just go away and die to protect the very service that should be there to care for them when needed whilst that service is very able to provide that said service.

No doubt there’s a hidden reason and a future agenda for this. I’ve not worked it out yet but no doubt it will become clear over the next few months / years.

@The80s I'm not sure he knows what he's talking about. It's like the entire system is suffering from a massive communication failure within and without. The lack of transparency and wishy washy information is shocking.

Yes, very interesting. Hadn't thought of it this way. Strange narrative, and quite wrong too. It's absolutely bizarre that the NHS 'shop is closed' to anything other than the severest CV cases

From the moment I heard the slogan, I was struck by its discordant, jarring emphasis. It is a reversal of any functioning healthcare paradigm. 'Protect the NHS?' The NHS should be protecting its patients This dysfunctional relationship is so woven into the UK'S DNA that this Orwellian phrase is accepted, not questioned. As for the fanatical clapping? It's cult like. It ensures that the serious, systemic problems with the NHS are not acknowledged. Let alone addressed.