Lifts plea for NHS staff

HOSPITAL bosses are turning to the public for help as heavy snow puts the NHS under extreme pressure.

Some operations have been cancelled and people are being asked to stay away from A&E unless they absolutely need to be there, as the weather prevents doctors and nurses from making it to hospitals and leads to hundreds of emergency calls.

One trust has even called for members of the public to volunteer to ferry staff to and from work.

A post by the Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust read: “Your local NHS needs you!

“We’re looking for members of the public who have a 4x4 vehicle and would be willing to pick staff up to bring them into work safely & take them home. If you are willing and able to do this, please can you contact our switchboard on 0344 811 8111.”

The trust, which provides hospital and community health services in North Tyneside and Northumberland, was inundated with offers of help in the comments section.

One man said: “I would be there in a flash to help the NHS.”

Others sent across details of a number of generous people who had already offered their vehicles to those who needed them.

Meanwhile, the extreme weather has put pressure on healthcare services across the region. NHS staff who aren’t on duty but can make it to the workplace have been asked to get in touch with their line managers to see if they can cover for those who can’t make it in.

NHS England has urged the public to attend hospital only if absolutely necessary.

And in some parts of the region, there has been disruption to non-urgent operations, procedures and outpatient appointments.

The body asks anyone unsure whether their appointment is going ahead to contact the hospital directly. If you’re unable to attend an appointment, contact the hospital on the number provided on your appointment letter.

Snow has also put a strain on the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS).

Paul Liversidge, of the NEAS, said: “As an emergency service, we don’t stop for any weather and in the past 36 hours we have attended 1,286 incidents and answered 1,638 emergency 999 calls and 2,785 NHS111 calls. Our priority right now is the safety of our staff and patients travelling in adverse weather conditions. We are prioritising our resources to those patients who are critically ill – please bear with us if it takes us a little longer to access areas with heavier snow or traffic disruption. We have cancelled some scheduled patient transport bookings for patients with routine hospital appointments so that we can ensure our service for critically ill patients