The boss of Nottingham's hospitals said he has been kept awake at night by the immense pressure on 'very busy' emergency departments. Anthony May, chief executive at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH), made the comments as many NHS organisations remained in 'critical incidents' due to increasingly high demand on services - and he revealed nine wards were currently occupied by patients ill with Covid or flu.
A 'critical incident' is declared when the level of disruption results in a local NHS organisation temporarily or permanently losing its ability to deliver critical services. NUH, which runs Queen's Medical Centre and City Hospital, and Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust (SFH), which runs King’s Mill, Newark and Mansfield Community hospitals, both declared a system-wide 'critical incident' on December 29, which is still in place as of today (January 3).
Mr May discussed the situation at Nottingham's hospitals with BBC Radio Nottingham - ahead of tonight's airing of Channel 4's BAFTA-nominated series '24 Hours in A&E', which was filmed in Queen's Medical Centre in 2021. "You'd have to be living on another planet to not see just how busy hospitals are at the moment, especially emergency apartments (ED)," he said.
Read more: Notts health bosses urge public to help NHS deal with pressures as 'critical incident' declared
"I'd have to say, if you came to our ED today it would look and feel different to when the programme was filmed. People are still doing an amazing job, working really really hard but it is also true to say that people are waiting too long, ED can be overcrowded, mostly [with] people who are suffering with what we call respiratory diseases, Covid or flu or a combination of those.
"If I give you an example, [we have] around nine wards' worth of patients at the moment with Covid or flu alone, which means that we have a very busy ED. It's not a great experience for people, so please only come to ED if you really need to.
"People are waiting too long, we don't like it - it's not good for them and it's certainly not good for their families or the staff. We've worked really, really hard over the Christmas and new year period to keep people's waits down and keep them as comfortable and safe as we can.
"There are some signs that flu and Covid are tailing off but it's too early to say. And of course people are getting back to normal today, so we need to see what is going to happen over the next few days." Mr May added the 'difficult and tough challenge' sometimes kept him awake at night.
As of January 3, 118 people were in ED at QMC with 60 patients waiting to be admitted to a ward. More than 196 patients in have been medically fit to be discharged for more than 24 hours and are waiting to be discharged.
NUH are caring for 165 patients with flu and a further 137 patients with Covid on wards. Mr May added: "We have declared a critical incident, which does what it says on the tin. It means we can't run our normal services in the way we would like to, so everything at the moment is focused on making sure that people are safe, and well cared for, and don't wait too long, and are cared for in suitable surroundings - we're doing the very best that we can."
NUH's emergency services remain open and patients should continue to come forward as normal in emergency and life-threatening cases. Patients with the highest level of need will be prioritised.
Michelle Rhodes, chief nurse at NUH, said: “With the extreme demand on our beds, it is vital that patients can leave hospital safely and quickly when they are medically fit to be discharged. This is not only beneficial for the individual, but means that we can transfer a patient from our ED to one of our wards, reducing waiting times and overcrowding.
“Friends and family play an important role in helping get patients home where their recovery can continue more quickly in their own surroundings. Please speak to our ward teams about how you can help and support an earlier discharge for your relative or loved one. Every hour matters and you will be helping us care for people who urgently require our care.”
In response to the sharp rise in winter illnesses, members of the public are being urged to stay at home and wear face masks if they feel ill. Professor Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser at the UK Health Security Agency, has said that unwell people should avoid going out and visiting vulnerable people unless it's urgent.
"It’s important to minimise the spread of infection in schools and other education and childcare settings as much as possible. If your child is unwell and has a fever, they should stay home from school or nursery until they feel better and the fever has resolved," Professor Hopkins said.
“Helping children to learn about the importance of good hand hygiene is also key, so practice regular handwashing at home with soap and warm water. Catching coughs and sneezes in tissues then binning them is another simple way to help stop illness from spreading.
“Adults should also try to stay home when unwell and if you do have to go out, wear a face covering. When unwell don’t visit healthcare settings unless urgent, or visit vulnerable people.
“Remember that flu vaccination is still available for all eligible groups and is the best protection against the virus. We have seen good uptake in older age groups but vaccination among young children remains low. Flu can be very unpleasant and in some cases can lead to more serious illness. Getting your child vaccinated protects them and others they come into contact with, and it’s still not too late.”
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