Heat could tip A&E units into queues chaos, warn doctors
HOSPITALS could be “full to bursting” by Monday evening, senior medics have warned as Britain experiences its forecast hottest August bank holiday ever.
Record heat combined with a day off for GPs and carers are expected to cause long queues in A&E, according to the Society for Acute Medicine (SAM).
Parts of England – mainly the South East – are expected to reach 32C (89.6F) today, exceeding the 2001 bank holiday record of 31.5C (88.7F), while much of the rest of the country will enjoy temperatures in the high 20Cs.
Wales yesterday enjoyed its hottest August bank holiday on record. Gogerddan, near Aberystwyth, recorded 27.4C (81.3F).
Hot weather brings added risk for the elderly, however, as well as those with respiratory and other conditions.
The NHS is already widely failing to meet its commitment to deal with patients arriving at emergency departments within four hours, and medical leaders have already warned this summer that hospital buildings are not functioning well in the heat. Dr Nick Scriven, the SAM president, warned the lack of support services on Monday could tip A&E departments into chaos.
“As with any period of weather at either extreme it brings extra pressure on emergency and urgent care services,” he told The Sunday Telegraph.
“This week could see pressure on the system even higher as it coincides with the bank holiday during which a lot of the ‘normal’ supporting services will not be working.”