NHS: We’re at breaking point
Pressure ‘worse than at any time during pandemic’
NHS bosses have warned that the health service is now under more pressure than at any time during the pandemic.
It appears to be near breaking point, with patients facing long delays at A&E and others forced to wait hours for a bed.
All but essential visiting has also been banned in some hospitals, and operations cancelled.
Rising Covid cases, staff and bed shortages and a lack of space on wards due to social distancing are all being blamed.
Last night, in a further worrying development, NHS officials admitted that some outpatient appointments could also be cancelled – while health boards across Scotland urged people not to seek hospital treatment unless it is absolutely necessary.
The extent of the crisis casts doubt on the ability of the health service to bounce back from the pandemic, days after the Scottish Government published its NHS Recovery Plan.
Meanwhile, figures released yesterday showed a further 5,858 new cases of coronavirus were detected in the previous 24 hours – the highest number ever recorded on a Saturday.
Yesterday there were 494 people in hospital and 49 people in intensive care. Eight more people have died.
Half of Scotland’s 14 health boards have cancelled some or all elective procedures, or are scheduling fewer new ones.
At least three have been forced to impose restrictions on visiting.
Earlier this month, NHS Highland stopped all elective orthopaedic surgery to allow more beds to be allocated to emergency patients.
Scotland’s biggest health board, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, which has also cancelled some operations, said: ‘We are seeing a very significant demand on health services, including emergency departments which are seeing an increased number of patients with a broad range of conditions.
‘Our clinical staff are extremely busy caring for those additional patients as well as those presenting with Covid. We apologise to any patient affected.’
In common with other boards, it urged the public to avoid the emergency department unless their condition was ‘life-threatening’.
NHS Lanarkshire last week postponed most non-urgent elective procedures for the next couple of weeks to free staff and beds for urgent care.
Dr John Keaney, NHS Lanarkshire acute medical director, said: ‘The sustained pressure we are seeing across our three acute hospitals is showing no signs of easing and our staff are struggling to cope.’
NHS Borders previously cancelled all scheduled routine operations for two weeks until September 6 to ensure it could carry out ‘vital services’. It has now also banned all but essential visits.
It said: ‘This is due to a combination of factors including very high levels of Covid infection in the community.’
Jacquie Campbell, chief medical officer at NHS Lothian, echoed the concerns of other boards, saying: ‘We are currently seeing significant pressures across our services.’
NHS Grampian said it was busy with no immediate capacity concerns, but admitted some procedures had been postponed due to ‘not having a bed available or because staff are not available due to sickness or self-isolating’.
NHS Forth Valley said: ‘So far, we have managed to maintain the delivery of a wide range of outpatient clinics.
However, this is being kept under regular review.’
Scottish Conservative public health spokesman Sandesh Gulhane, who is also a GP, said: ‘My colleagues in the health service are completely overwhelmed. [Health Minister] Humza Yousaf’s recovery plan was embarrassingly thin on detail. It didn’t even begin to scratch the surface in outlining how to fully tackle the challenges facing our NHS. The current situation is completely unsustainable.’
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘The current spike in cases underlines the fact that the pandemic is not over, and that Covid-19 and other pressures will continue to impact the NHS for some time.’