Hospitals critical incidents

[Spottyphonecase24]

I have seen a number of hospital trusts have declared this today. What does this actually mean and how does it affect us? Boris didn’t seem to be bothered by this should we be?

It means that the hard working NHS staff are absolutely on their knees.

2 A&E nurses when there should be 10.

Ambulances stacked up outside because there is no where for people to go.

No ambulances available to respond to 999 as they are stacked up at A&E.

Electives cancelled so people are not getting surgery.

That's what it means. Basically the NHS at this point in time is fucked

@PrincessNutNuts

Government Pandemic Alert levels:

Apparently we're only at 4.

You think that is in any way aligned to the reality in the NHS?

Pull the other one.

I've never heard ambulance trusts telling people with suspected heart attacks or strokes to make their own way to the hospital before.

www.hsj.co.uk/quality-and-performance/get-a-lift-to-hospital-ambulance-trust-tells-patients-with-suspected-heart-attacks/7031626.article

The target for a Category 2 shout (heart attack and stroke level) is 18 minutes.

These are the current averages for those types of 999 calls according to the Sunday Times last weekend:

(We're going need an alert level 6)

Yikes its a worry

We have critical incidents in my ward every so often, related to too many patients rather than too few staff mostly. As far as I can tell, nothing changes. The patients numbers are what they are. I think it is almost a cop out of "don't blame us if something goes wrong, we told you it was busy"

48 deaths today of people testing positive within the last 28 days.

People are often spending weeks in hospital - much longer than 28 days - before dying from Covid.

To put that in perspective, 450 odd people died of cancer today, actually of cancer, not with cancer.

So yeah really helpful to add to NHS staff's burden. Not to mention of course that a cancer patient will be highly vulnerable to Covid - so it's kind of desirable to protect them from catching it.

Oh and whilst we're talking about cancer, there's the cancelled and delayed diagnoses and treatments - due to hospitals being full of Covid patients and HCP off sick, including many long-term with Long Covid or PTSD or burn out. Or dead. I don't know the latest figures but several months ago at least 600 HCP had been killed by Covid.

If Boris isn't bothered it's because it won't personally affect him. He'll get a bed and (timely) treatment if he needs it. Also, whilst there's currently only very limited supply of the new anti Virals, and the monoclonal antibodies like sotrovimab, I'd be surprised if the Prime Minister wasn't able to access them if required. (Admittedly he might fit the criteria given he's CV on age and weight alone).

I don't @ChequerBoard

Temporary wards in car parks, a plethora of critical incidents, cancelled operations and the ambulance service not being able to turn up to extremely time sensitive emergencies such as strokes and heart attacks are the reality.

Those wait times are for November, from the AmbSYS doc for Nov -

www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ambulance-quality-indicators/ambulance-quality-indicators-data-2021-22/

Interestingly they are actually down on the average for C2 for October.

"In some regions, the number of covid patients in hospitals is growing at 8%+ EVERY DAY.

That cannot go on for very long without getting to a crisis point."

twitter.com/davewwest/status/1477930999908646914?s=21

@PrincessNutNuts

I don't *@ChequerBoard*

Temporary wards in car parks, a plethora of critical incidents, cancelled operations and the ambulance service not being able to turn up to extremely time sensitive emergencies such as strokes and heart attacks are the reality.

I apologise.

There are so many posters on other threads making out it's all fine and 'just' winter pressures like every other year.

The way this crisis is being whitewashed by Boris and parts of the media is nothing short of criminal.

So glad they are finally reporting multiple instead of just a different trust every couple of weeks.

FYI it's been going in for months. The critical incidents didn't all just suddenly happen yesterday. The NHS has finally collapsed.

No apology needed @ChequerBoard

Also, yes, this happens every winter, with winter pressures which usually start in winter. This is winter pressures plus severe underfunding and a pandemic on top of it.

Out trust has declared OPEL 4 times this year since around June/July. This ain't just winter pressures anymore and people need to start realising that instead of explaining it away all the time.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/04/growth-rate-covid-patients-north-more-than-double-london?CMP=ShareiOSAppp_Other

Our health board has three large hospitals today they announced this. In past years it was flu norovirus.

The staff at the outpatients clinic I attend were miserable before Xmas, god knows how they're feeling now with the staff shortages

Chris Whitty on Omicron causing "mild" hospital admissions.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1544661/Chris-Whitty-UK-Covid-warning-Omicron-Downing-Street-press-conference-briefing-today/amp

I believe it also kicks in additional funding to pay for extra staff _ many who are called in from days off or extra shifts.

It’s really grim. My husband is at a critical stage in his cancer battle. He was due to see a consultant tomorrow but has been told to stay home for a phone call. Which we are grateful for but these difficult things were always face to face. No way could my husband risk entering a hospital where covid may be rife. The ignorant posters who think staff should go to hospital with mild covid need to think of patients with cancer, heart problems, diabetes….it’s not going to cause mild illness for everyone!

I despair for the undiagnosed

I think a degree of perspective does need to be applied to all staff not just NHS. The common cold can prove to be serious for those with other ailments, we do not stop someone from coming to work just because his/her child has a snotty nose. Within hospital settings all you can do is take sensible precautions like masks, hand washing etc.

As tough as it may sound, we do need to start taking the same approach with Covid. As someone previously said, the likelihood of anyone not having come into contact with the latest strain is remote.

I am willing to bet the staff absences between those that won't get full pay if isolating and those that do will be dramatically different.

news.sky.com/story/covid-boris-johnsons-balancing-act-between-nhs-medics-and-rebel-tory-mps-as-he-resists-new-restrictions-12509175?dcmp=snt-sf-twitter

I am willing to bet the staff absences between those that won't get full pay if isolating and those that do will be dramatically different.

That's because people who should be isolating for the safety of others won't because they can't afford to. And you think that's a good thing?

[quote PrincessNutNuts]Chris Whitty on Omicron causing "mild" hospital admissions.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1544661/Chris-Whitty-UK-Covid-warning-Omicron-Downing-Street-press-conference-briefing-today/amp[/quote]
I stopped listening to Whitty Months ago. Todays whine from him is saying it is the elderly that are getting the current variant, yet just the other day it was the young that needed to get vaccinated.

I'm in Scotland and the patient numbers entering hospital after a positive test within the last 28 days are relatively low. Since 30th December, 116 more patients went into hospital. 4 Patients were admitted to Intensive Care.

@nocoolnamesleft

I am willing to bet the staff absences between those that won't get full pay if isolating and those that do will be dramatically different.

That's because people who should be isolating for the safety of others won't because they can't afford to. And you think that's a good thing?

Turn that around. Do you think having perfectly fit Dr's & Nurses staying at home because their child has had a positive test is a good thing?

Using the Ambulance example someone posted further up thread, Imagine being in a road accident. You are lying on the road with 2 broken legs waiting an hour for an ambulance. Would you be willing to take your chances with a Nurse and Dr taking sensible precautions to allow you to be lifted and treated? I know I would.

@Sparklehead

The NHS Trust that I work for has declared a critical incident a few days ago. For the hospital I work in, it means is that the number of patients requiring beds is far exceeding capacity. Also, that staffing levels are too low, and in my opinion, patient safety can be at risk. Some things that commonly happen when a critical incident is declared: An extra bed has been put in each bay on a ward (so 7 to a bay rather than 6). Staff a/l is cancelled and all staff are requested/pleaded with to do overtime. Staff are expected to take on different duties (still has to be within their scope of practice) and work in different parts of the hospital according to need. Any non-essential meetings/training is cancelled. I have to say it’s pretty exhausting working in these conditions and with the worry they patient safety can be compromised.

For us it's meant that patients are discharged before care is available for them- they are not permitted to stay as soon as they're deemed medically fit. So they may be offered a move to a care home, miles and miles away until a care agency can take them on or their chosen care home has a bed for them, or they can be discharged home even though they might not be able to get themselves to a toilet.

It's also meant people being nursed or dying on corridors because there are no beds available on wards.

This is something we all should be playing our part in. We now expect the state to care for our elderly Parents. In Years gone by that role was covered by the family. Perhaps we need to return to that.