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.

I have had a treatment cancelled, it’s done every 4 months and life is extremely uncomfortable without it. I understood the reason why they may do it, but was told they don’t know when I can be treated next and will be put on a waiting list. But it’s upsetting knowing my consultant is possibly sitting twiddling his thumbs

Have to say we are so lucky here. Our hospital 2 deaths. But this is regional, some hospitals are working flat out high icu death rate, it really is awful for them. I cannot see the government enforcing lock down rules regionally so even if we are practically clear we have to think as a nation not a region. Bit like world war II really.

OH sorry, must have had that poster confused with someone. Apologies.

Tara I’ve just finished using a private consultant (last appointment by FT last week) and I know he has upped his NHS hours hugely and is very busy. That might assuage that concern a bit, maybe re twiddling thumbs.

There is a world of difference between 'the numbers are going down in a few areas that peaked first', which is possible and means lockdown has been successful, and is in line with what you would expect in other countries, and leaping from that to the conclusion that it's all over now and we can open up schools, shops etc and go back to normal.

There is NO evidence that removing the lockdown would not lead straight to another, equally dangerous second wave.

Things should stay shut until a clear exit plan is produced, to included properly resourced and prepared plans for extensive testing, contact tracing and quarantining, and proper supplies of PPE, oxygen etc for the NHS.

To do anything else is to plan mass murder.

I find this very hard to believe although I'm sure there are regional variations. Here in London I have had two friends with suspected Covid, having serious breathing difficulties, whom paramedics have refused to bring in to hospital. One of them had to be taken in to A&E a day later and even then they were seen and checked but not admitted as Covid wards were too full. Both pretty seriously ill by 'normal' standards (a close relative of mine is a doctor and did some basic checks and said they were alarmed they were not being admitted).

Just looking at the high death rates coming from hospitals makes me feel that this thread cannot be accurate. I now know a number of people whose relatives have died, so on a personal level the scale of illness also rings true.

I am personally being extremely careful based on what I see around me and feel uncomfortable reading this thread as it may lead people to feel everything is ok when it isn't. I know I am looking out at the beautiful sunshine and trees and everything seems lovely and it feels hard to believe.

If this is true it is very disturbing....

My partner had surgery cancelled in March to see if he has something sinister...
Which his consultant wants to check

No update on when this may take place now
Very scary times

Nora
This thread for the most part isn’t about abandoning lockdown, it’s about a what a rational approach to current healthcare & improving Covid outcomes should be, because we don’t seem to have that right now.

Yes agree with this. Which is why I swerve the vocal minority arguing otherwise and with a pinch of salt.

This is the issue I want at the forefront.

(I don’t agree with other parts of your post but not really here nor there).

I dont think the right thing to do is lift any restrictions right now.
The numbers we are given aren't accurate and could be anywhere up to 50% more than this...

I believe this hasn't peaked yet and its going to get worse

This thread doesn't seem to be about lockdown or Tory policies. It's about letting the NHS get back to some normal business. Lots of ITUs and respiratory wards are very busy but because of increased capacity not overflowing. BUT not all staff are busy. Some are worryingly quiet. Paediatric wards are worryingly empty, routine work isn't happening, patients with potentially serious conditions are staying away.

www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/news/local-news/latest-figures-show-just-one-4062828

The figure in Lincolnshire would suggest the NurseJacques hospital is likely to be quiet. There must be a way to try and redress the balance and not just focus on treatment of CV now.

EffingTerrified yep. Lockdown does work, good. Bar people left at home issue. To argue it was a mistake is extremely foolish.

Havent rtwt. It has been quieter than usual where I am (not London) - but wards are filling up gradually. We have had more than usual number of deaths each week, but not to a huge scale. We are expecting to need to open extra beds (converted outpatient areas) in the next 1-2 weeks as the covid wards fill up. In our hospital we do have non-covid areas but this is impossible to maintain as already patients admitted for other reasons have gone on to become symptomatic and test positive for covid.

In my non-expert opinion as soon as lockdown is released and people start circulating normally infection rates and deaths will shoot up again until we either have a vaccine or reliable, large scale testing.

We will have a big test case to observe in the USA over the next few weeks.

@NurseJaques

She’s a long time poster with very valid points who I don’t believe has pushed any agenda

@Merename - that's not my experience in west of scotland. Half empty wards (including ITU), A&E very quiet, clinics cancelled etc. There was a massive push to get student nurses out on placement to augment the workforce - they wanted them out early before their exams etc, now they are saying there won't be enough placements for them and they won't get to do their hours. No sign at all of the Louisa Jordan being needed despite the staff induction they did there last week.

I suppose it is a no-win situation though - if not prepared and there is a massive surge, it could be disastrous. But if numbers stay managable, it will look as if it was overkill and poorly thought out.

We've become so risk averse as a society though and I think the current situation shows that well. There was a ridiculous situation in my hospital where family members were told that they could visit their dying relative but then would have to self-isolate for 14 days and miss the funeral! I think there will be massive long standing emotional turmoil after all this but hopefully lessons will be learned before the next end-of-the-world virus hits.

Chardonnay, I've never heard of NurseJaques before today (or, to be fair, you - apologies if you have been here forever!).

I am suspicious of many of the posts on here, coming on the exact day that a government-led disinformation campaign using sockpuppet accounts to push ending lockdown has been revealed.

MN is certainly not immune to sockpuppet accounts - longstanding posters on here will remember the inimitable claig, who disappeared the second the Brexit vote result was announced, after months/years of religiously posting more or less as a full-time job on the topic before. (I kind of miss him/her!)

Stay home until you turn blue. Umm. well if the board/ trust has spare beds why cant you go in.

Died at home or care home, what is on the death certificate as to cause of death? Is that counted into the figures?

Pomegranite - never heard of you either, so one poster I've never heard of vouching for another I've never heard of proves nothing.

Maybe she is genuine. No idea.

But the thread as a whole and many posts on it are very suspect and do not at all tie in with what other posters are saying or I am reading elsewhere, so I will continue to be sceptical.

Particularly on a day when a national disinformation campaign has been revealed.

Well I have been here for years and years, sheesh, did not need hair dye when I started. 43 and pregnant, panicking in 2001. Name changed because MN could not use my account e mail hacked after dust cloud in Gran Canaria led to a hacking of my account when I logged in to hotels wifi. sheesh that was 20 years ago.

My niece is a nurse in the North of England and she is overwhelmed with Covid patients at her hospital. She's still not been given any PPE (just a paper mask) and she's completely terrified, torn between refusing to work and her commitment to saving lives. Yes, the burden on some hospitals is easing up but not elsewhere. It's an utter shit show.

Imo absolutely reasonable to start to open some other services with robust testing of patients and staff and reducing numbers initially to help with isolations. Ie deep cleaning theatre between cases.

I'm very excited to be at the centre of an 'is nursejaques real' debate

I've been on MN under various names since I think about 2009, so seen it in all its glory.

I'd be a bloody rubbish sock puppet, as I've clearly said multiple times on this thread I don't know what to suggest, and I'm not pro-lockdown release at all... I just feel generally worried about the future and a bit lost in this odd new reality.

Effing, we can only recount our own experiences regionally which as I have said does not diss what other regions are enduring.

justasking, there has been reporting that some doctors/coroners are being told not to put covid on the death cert if they died with co-morbidities and just to list those.

I don't think this is happening everywhere but will be suppressing total numbers reported with the disease.

The mortality rates for the disease are certainly not accurate.

@effingterrifiedive been around for years - mainly on style and beauty. Obviously can’t prove that to you. I do recognise @MarshaBradyo name though. We were on the royal wedding thread I think !

Effing, pneumonia was put down on certificates for decades before this covid.