‘Everyone is tired ... and everyone knows it’s about to get worse’

ONE doctor, based in A&E at Bolton Royal Hospital, said the wards are getting fuller with coronavirus patients.

“I think the thing most people in hospitals are frustrated about is that it feels very preventable”, she said.

“It’s awful when you see the daily deaths, over 1,000 a day.

“Fair enough there was a first wave, but this is the third wave. Action should have been taken sooner.

“I think the first lockdown was better. Now when I drive to work I see more people out and about – I don’t think they are all key workers.

“We have definitely seen a big increase of Christmas patients coming in from all the mingling.”

By the end of last week, medics were treating around 130 patients for coronavirus in the hospital, she said.

Doctors are also looking on nervously at the situation in the capital, where a major incident was declared last Friday.

“Everyone is very tired and stretched. With everything happening in London, we expect it to worsen over the coming weeks. Everyone knows it’s about to get a lot worse”, she said.

Medics are also facing other obstacles – such as coronavirus conspiracy theories.

Between Christmas and New Year, the A&E doctor said some coronavirus patients told her they had suffered cough and flu symptoms before the festive period.

But instead of isolating, they went ahead with Christmas plans.

“I know most people are very sensible, doing their best,” she said. “But it can be frustrating. We have patients saying ‘I don’t trust what’s in the vaccine’.

“Some say they are happy to have an investigation (like an endoscopy) but they refuse to be swabbed (for coronavirus).

“We can’t then give them an appointment for that procedure.”

Every year, hospitals face winter pressures. But the A&E doctor said she is seeing an increasing number of very sick patients this year.

“The wait at A&E is painfully long,” she added. “Some (patients) are waiting on trolleys. You feel awful. They are really sick and start to feel worse and worse.”

She’s also seeing more younger patients falling ill with coronavirus – and previous patients returning with ‘Long Covid’ symptoms.

She said: “A lot (of patients) have been discharged with an oxygen cylinder. We are going to be dealing with (the impact of the pandemic) for a very long time.

She said the staff have ‘rallied together’ during the tough months – doctors and nurses have volunteered for extra shifts.