SUPER SATURDAY? IT COULD BE CARNAGE
A&E could be as busy as New Year’s Eve, NHS warns
DOCTORS are braced for emergency departments to be as busy as New Year’s Eve as the lockdown eases and pubs reopen on Saturday.
Health bosses warned there could be a surge in admissions this weekend and police are on standby in case celebrations get out of hand.
NHS officials have warned hospital trusts that patient numbers could hit similar levels to January 31 – the busiest night of the year. They have been urged to bring in extra staff to cope with the expected rise in demand, fuelled by drunken behaviour.
Police leaders also warned that the public will be ‘out in droves’ on July 4 as pubs, bars and restaurants reopen.
They fear casualty departments could be deluged by those who overdo their celebrations and go back to resembling ‘a circus full of drunken clowns’.
Britain’s top officer promised there will be more police on the streets to quell any unrest and said the force had been planning for the so-called Super Saturday for some time.
Dame Cressida Dick urged the public to ‘ be sensible’ and not overwhelm the health service.
She said: ‘ My message is if you’re coming out on Saturday, be calm, be sensible.’
The Government has been accused of creating a party atmosphere by announcing the easing of lockdown well ahead of the weekend. There are fears that the countdown could lead to irresponsible behaviour.
Strict infection controls mean A&Es are currently operating at about half their usual capacity, leaving them less able to cope with sudden surges in demand.
And health leaders fear that alcohol- related admissions could be the final straw for already exhausted staff.
Dr Katherine Henderson, president of the Royal College of
‘Be calm, be sensible’
Emergency Medicine, said: ‘ We are bracing ourselves for this weekend. It is scary for the NHS. Staff have been working hard... if they see a lot of people who have thrown caution to the wind, that is going to be really difficult.’
Scotland Yard told the public to expect to see police on the streets and Dame Cressida said they are ‘absolutely prepared’.
It comes as she was criticised after a series of violent clashes erupted between officers and revellers at illegal raves in London last week. Dame Cressida hit back yesterday at the ‘absurd’ claims that she had lost control of the streets and insisted her officers have ‘not gone soft’.
Yesterday Tim Clarke from the Metropolitan Police Federation said he feared this weekend ‘could be anything but a “Super Saturday” for police officers’.
He added: ‘ This could have been mitigated by waiting until Monday to further relax the Government guidelines.’
Brian Booth, chairman of West Yorkshire Police Federation, said he believes officers were right to be concerned because ‘ alcohol lowers inhibitions’.
An NHS England spokesman said staff ‘will be there for anyone who needs them’ but ‘ the public will want to avoid tying them up needlessly and putting others at risk by overindulging’.