London Hospital declares Major Incident.

[RubyViolet]

This is frightening, and it’s not the hospital that l have heard about earlier today. This is in South London and l am hearing about a hospital in North London.
www.independent.co.uk/news/health/coronavirus-london-queen-elizabeth-hospital-oxygen-b1779468.html

What happens next ?

My concern is not the incidents being declared, although that's worrying, its what happens when things get over whelmed but we are in a situation where things could be worse than ever before?
If it's been bad in previous years, what the hell will happen this year?

@tapdancingmum

The ambulance service in my area have messaged to say not to call an ambulance unless there is a real risk to life. I don't think I have seen that before. Not looking good.

I agree that it's certainly not looking good at all but that's always the case with calling an ambulance but Joe Public is often to stupid to realise it

@MrsFrisbyMouse absolutely, I wasn’t agreeing that this is not a huge worry, just that hospitals walk a fine line at the best of times so with covid thrown in it’s a disaster.

The Covid deniers are probably right - at this point, it probably has been this bad in non Covid years.

Unfortunately, this is just the beginning. We have another 3-4 weeks of deteriorating hospital conditions baked in, and that's if the government announced stringent new measures today.

London is already in tier 4 which is pretty much lockdown and schools are closed for the moment. What else do you suggest and how will it help the people who have just recently been infected who will require hospital care in the next week or so?

It's absolutely nothing like a lockdown. My local park is rammed. Borough Market is full of people. Queues outside the local coffee shop.

Tier 4 is no where near a lockdown

We deserve to know what is being done.
We need reassurance from the elected officials whose job it is to make Healthcare work

How on earth has it come to this?

It always surprises me as well that people wait hours and hours for an ambulance. I would get in my car, ask a neighbour, or even call a taxi.

If it that urgent I certainly wouldn’t be waiting around for an ambulance.

If it was really serious once you got to the hospital then you would be triaged in.

Just waiting for the doom and gloomers who say they don’t have a car, and cannot ask their neighbours etc etc.

I don't think either of those articles even have the word oxygen in them @Emeeno1

@Amijustagrump

DP is currently on shift in essex and he sat in a queue of ambulances for 5 hours 15 minutes! The ones arriving on blues had an hour wait too.. they cant even divert the hospital as all the others are full. 6 years in the job and this is the worst he has ever seen it!

It's bad in Essex currently ( I have a few sources which are very reliable) However, all you read online is ' it's all a hoax ' etc etc. (not on mumsnet to be fair but a few people question these lockdowns) I can see both sides of these arguments and not sure who to believe anymore , but if the NHS is already overwhelmed then what will it be like in a weeks time ( or more?) when the children are due to go back to school as well ? I wish I had all the answers. It's all a nightmare. Those poor staff :(

@lcdododo

London is already in tier 4 which is pretty much lockdown and schools are closed for the moment. What else do you suggest and how will it help the people who have just recently been infected who will require hospital care in the next week or so?

It's absolutely nothing like a lockdown. My local park is rammed. Borough Market is full of people. Queues outside the local coffee shop.

Tier 4 is no where near a lockdown

The virus is extremely unlikely to spread outdoors though

Local M and S food this afternoon was still full of couple and family en masse shopping. It’s as though lockdowns, only essential journeys don’t actually include them.

It's worrying and will clearly get worse, as case numbers rise sharply in about 10 days, due to all the families mixing at Christmas. The period 10 to 20 January is probably going to be horrific for NHS staff and anyone who is unlucky enough to need hospital admission during that time. I think it's good that the BBC are keeping people informed - if people are scared that's unfortunate, but perhaps it will help get the message through to some hard of thinking people that this really isn't "just like the flu/exaggerated/nothing to worry about".

DH and I have decided to avoid shops and do all our food shopping online for the next few weeks. We have a slot booked for 2 January and I will soon be booking another for mid January. I'm so grateful for online shopping and all the drivers who are providing such a valuable service. Take care everyone, don't fall at the last hurdle.

@Emeeno1

www.theguardian.com/society/2014/nov/14/colchester-hospital-sedation-restraint-cqc-nhs-crisis - Nov 2014

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/11327733/AandE-crisis-seven-hospitals-declare-major-incidents.html January 2015

www.theguardian.com/society/2017/jan/11/nhs-crisis-20-hospitals-declare-black-alert-as-patient-safety-no-longer-assured - January 2017

These are about lack of capacity not running out of O2.

Also all of them are saying "unprecedented demands" which kind of suggests that they didn't have that issue every winter.

It's particularly challenging in Wales at the moment

It always surprises me as well that people wait hours and hours for an ambulance.

Your neighbours car can't bring you round from a heart attack.

Yes hospitals are busy.

www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/Care-Pathways/surge-in-hospitals-declaring-major-incidents-unable-to-cope-with-demand

That's from January 2015. "struggle to cope with unprecedented demand", "second major incident in three weeks", "posted a message urging people to stay away from A&E" and so on.

Why do people have such short memories? Not buying into the scaremongering. Yes hospitals are busy, yes they are busy EVERY DECEMBER/JANUARY.

@What is the point of this thread? Apart from to spread fear? I swear some people are just thriving off the drama. Agreed.

My elderly neighbour fell and broke her hip on Boxing Day. She sat in agony in the dark for hours as she was worried about "troubling the NHS"

Rabid posts like this do not help.

My local hospital in the NW is turning people away/diverting ambulances as it is full

No mention of oxygen there @raspberrycoulis

I am not talking about heart attacks. I am talking about people moaning about how they waited hours and hours.

God, if a neighbour asked me to take them to the hospital I bloody would would be getting my coat. I don’t even care if I don’t know them that well.

God, if a neighbour asked me to take them to the hospital I bloody would would be getting my coat. I don’t even care if I don’t know them that well.

You can't always move people safely without medical knowledge.

And YES, hospitals are busy every single DEC-FEB.

So raspberrycoulis are you saying the medics who have been on the news saying this winter is worse than ever due to covid are lying or have terrible memory problems or what? www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-55460248

Is this lady making it up that this is the worst she's seen in her career? The fact that the NHS is stretched too thin every winter makes it MORE important that we take measures to prevent people being hospitalised with covid surely?

@MadameBlobby

I highly doubt that when people aren't social distancing and are huddled together.

And don't even get me started on the tubes.

@RaspberryCoulis

Yes hospitals are busy.

www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/Care-Pathways/surge-in-hospitals-declaring-major-incidents-unable-to-cope-with-demand

That's from January 2015. "struggle to cope with unprecedented demand", "second major incident in three weeks", "posted a message urging people to stay away from A&E" and so on.

Why do people have such short memories? Not buying into the scaremongering. Yes hospitals are busy, yes they are busy EVERY DECEMBER/JANUARY.

Yes, and with Covid on top it’s unmanageable, a crisis. Or as the hospital in South London said ...a Major Incident.