Younger patients prioritised as London rations intensive care

OVERWHELMED London hospitals have begun ‘triaging’ coronavirus patients and rationing intensive care resources, it was claimed last night.

Doctors in the capital said a critical shortage of beds meant some hospitals were implementing emergency guidelines to prioritise treatment for patients with the best survival chances.

This means younger patients will be offered critical care over the elderly, who are less likely to survive. Dr Katharina Hauck, from the faculty of medicine at Imperial College London, said: ‘Hospitals in London are overwhelmed, which is a dangerous situation for all patients requiring urgent care ... Sadly, some hospitals are now forced to follow ... emergency triage of all patients requiring critical care.

‘Applying this guidance effectively means that patients under the age of 65 who are not frail will be prioritised over elderly and frailer patients for critical care. Frail patients would be cared for in general wards with less intensive care.’

Senior officials warned that the current lockdown is likely to be less effective at bringing down cases than the first – and it could be extended beyond March.

They said they are expecting ‘a flattened plateau rather than a fall’ while restrictions are in place because the new variant spreads up to 70 per cent more easily.

The vaccine rollout is unlikely to ease the pressure on the NHS yet because many hospital patients are in their 50s and 60s, and this group is not due to have the jab until the end of February.

Ministers will not consider lifting lockdown restrictions until hospital admissions have significantly decreased.