BREAKING POINT
UK’s busiest hospital declares Covid ‘disaster mode’ after tsunami of cases with only 1 nurse for every 3 ICU patients
THE UK's busiest hospital has declared it is in Covid "disaster mode" after a tsunami of cases has left only one nurse for every three intensive care patients.
A leaked memo from management at the Royal London Hospital said it was struggling to cope with the huge spike in coronavirus cases.
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In the email, seen by , read: “We are now in disaster medicine mode. We are no longer providing high standard critical care, because we cannot.
“While this is far from ideal, it’s the way things are, and the way they have to be for now. Things are going to get harder before they get better.”
Management said in the email that “every hospital in northeast London is struggling”, and that the rest of the city would be in a similar position in a fortnight.
Professor Alistair Chesser, Group Chief Medical Officer of Barts Health NHS Trust which runs Royal London, said: “The rapid expansion of intensive care beds in our hospitals has led to necessary changes in the clinical staffing model, in line with national guidance.
"Despite this, our dedicated staff are providing high quality care for all who need it thanks to their dedication and skill.”
The NHS has come under severe pressure as a highly contagious new strain of Covid tears through London and the South East, as health experts have begged the public to stay at home.
Britain has seen its highest ever daily rise in coronavirus cases today with 55,892 infections reported in the past 24 hours.
A further 964 deaths were recorded, bringing the total number of fatalities to 73,512.
Just under half of all major hospital trusts in England currently have more Covid-19 patients than at the peak of the first wave of the virus, latest figures show.
Some 64 out of 140 acute NHS trusts were recording a higher number of Covid-19 patients at 8am on December 30 than at any point between mid-March and the end of May.
This includes 11 of the 14 acute trusts in eastern England and 12 of the 19 acute trusts in south-east England.
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The figures show that 42 of the 140 acute trusts had more Covid-19 patients on December 30 than at any point since the pandemic began.
Meanwhile, a doctor says members of the public flouting coronavirus rules have "blood on their hands".
Professor Hugh Montgomery said he was "angry" with Brits not wearing masks as the crisis in British hospitals deepens.
He told Radio 5 Live: "Anyone who is listening to this, who doesn't wear their masks and behaves like this... They have blood on their hands, they are spreading this virus, then other people will spread it and people will die.
"They won't know they've killed people, but they have."
The doctor, who is also professor of intensive care medicine at University College London, added: "I'm watching whole families getting wiped out here. It has to stop."
They have blood on their hands, they are spreading this virus, then other people will spread it and people will die
Prof Hugh Montgomery
According to , a note circulated among senior staff following a meeting of the North East and Central London Adult Critical Care Network warned that demand was outstripping resources in many hospitals.
The network, which covers 17 hospitals in London and Essex, reportedly said it was “beyond full” and “needs help” to cope with a shortage of nurses and rapidly depleting oxygen supplies.
The note added that the network was dangerously close to full capacity with 235 patients in 236 beds, 160 of whom were battling Covid-19 - with further patients expected.
Oxygen use at Queen’s Hospital in Romford was also reported to be so high that doctors were forced to approve reduced targets for patients - though medics insisted this was a safe move.
According to the note, staffing numbers at the Trust were also said to be “dire” with 28 critical care nurses and seven nurses with less training currently caring for 68 patients.
The says that the ‘gold standard’ ratio is one registered nurse per patient.
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There are also fears that the spread of the new strain beyond the South East has seen Trusts in other regions put under serious pressure, with Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital reported to be “close to breaking point”.
ITV’s Good Morning Britain today said the hospital, which has the biggest ICU in the country, was struggling to cope with a surge in admissions - with some patients forced to wait in ambulances for three hours.
Residents living nearby told the programme the noise of sirens was “relentless”, and the Trust is reported to be taking patients from London and other regions.
'REALLY STRETCHED'
Dr David Rosser, chief executive of University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust, told the situation was "as close to critical as I have ever seen the NHS in 25 years".
He said: "We are very, very tight in intensive care and we do not have enough ITU trained nurses to deal with the number of patients in intensive care.
"As a result we are back to where we were in April, when we had to draft in non specialists to help. We are really stretched."
Yesterday, Essex called in the army after declaring a major incident at their crippled hospitals - with patients being treated in the back of ambulances.
Sir Bernard Jenkin, MP for Harwich and North Essex, asked Health Secretary Matt Hancock for military support in building extra hospitals and to help roll out the Covid vaccine.
There are also growing fears that hospitals in London could send patients to Yorkshire as intensive care units reach breaking point, reports
The Royal Free in the capital has already decided to move its children's inpatients unit to another hospital to free up space for adult patients, covid and non-covid sufferers alike.
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Gareth Grier, the Director of the Institute of Pre-Hospital Care, warned that the “impact of the surge on emergency departments this time is very different” from the Spring due to “bigger numbers”.
Urging hospitals to ensure adequate space for patients, he tweeted: “If covid patients are left in corridors then covid will spread like wildfire within the hospital.”
Mr Grier added that, as a result, medics had been forced to ‘cross a red line’ and treat patients outside in ambulances and tents.
NIGHTINGALES 'READIED'
Nightingale hospitals across England, which were previously empty, are now being "readied" for use if needed as Covid patient numbers rise.
The NHS in London has been asked to make sure the Excel centre site is "reactivated and ready to admit patients" as hospitals in the capital struggle.
Other Nightingale hospital sites across England include Manchester, Bristol, Sunderland, Harrogate, Exeter and Birmingham.
A spokesman for the NHS said: "In anticipation of pressures rising from the spread of the new variant infection, NHS London were asked to ensure the London Nightingale was reactivated and ready to admit patients as needed, and that process is under way."
The surge in infections comes as three quarters of England was plunged into harsh Tier 4 restrictions last night to prevent the spread of the new variant getting out of control.
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The British Medical Association (BMA) today welcomed the government’s decision, warning that the NHS will "struggle to get patients in urgent need of care, the care they need" if the trajectory of rising infections continues.
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Council chairman Dr Chaand Nagpaul said: "With daily cases soaring to over 50,000 this week, placing the NHS under enormous strain, the decision to move millions more people into tougher restrictions across the country is a necessary step.”
He added: "As we hear more reports of hospitals declaring major incidents, ICU beds reaching 100% capacity in parts of the country, and patients having to be transferred to other hospitals for care, it is vital that everything possible is done to bring down the spread of the virus."
Essex calls in ARMY to man hospitals in ‘major incident’ with Covid patients treated in tents and ambulances