UK hospitals prepare for emergencies as Covid-19 hospitalizations increase

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As the number of hospitalized patients begins to increase, hospitals are conducting “major incident” stress tests in their wards to see if they are ready for the second wave of Covid-19.

Coronavirus cases are doubling approximately every 7 days, and there are signs that the increase is beginning to penetrate hospitals. Last Wednesday, 136 patients were hospitalized in England for the last two days, for a total of 863 patients.

NHS leaders are increasing the mental health of their staff, the growing number of people in need of treatment for alcohol-related injuries, and the increasing likelihood that the A & E department will have difficulty dealing with coronavirus cases and routine tasks. So, I’m checking.

Hospitals are trying to balance the need to treat Covid-19 patients with the pressure to tackle a record number of people awaiting routine surgery. This is three times the number last summer, reaching 2.15 million.

Niall Dickson, chief executive of the NHS Union, which represents the trusts across the healthcare sector in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, said the trusts are “trying to implement a major incident-style scenario plan.”

“They once again imagine what it will be and what they have to do,” he said. “And they do it both as a desktop plan and as a ward staff use. It’s obviously happening everywhere.”

Dixon said the NHS is well prepared for any second wave. He said the hospital is now divided into a Covid zone and a non-Covid zone, with most hospital staff available personal protective equipment when needed and improved treatment. Also, there is a better connection between the hospital and the social care provider, but the staff rotor wasn’t full.

“I’ve never heard of such concerns from service leaders about the mental tensions of professional staff during my time in medical services,” Dixon said. Doctors, nurses and other staff working in the intensive care unit experienced “unprecedented mortality”.

“People react to it in different ways. Certainly you now have someone who even thinks you’re walking away. It says,” I have enough and I do it. I can’t do it. ” There are other people who have managed to overcome this. However, there is no doubt that after that intense period, you will get the same post-traumatic effect.

“There is no doubt that the NHS staff will increase, but do not underestimate the impact of the concentration of work required.”

Catherine Henderson, president of the Royal University of Emergency Medicine, said hospitals need to consider ways to ensure that patients are quickly discharged from the emergency department.

“Alcohol-related attendance dropped significantly during the lockdown, but now as many people are drunk as before,” she said. However, the emergency department needs to avoid the spread of the virus, which reduces space.

“We need an organization that really focuses on getting rid of patients who don’t need to be in hospital beds,” she said. “It’s absolutely important. Therefore, they need a good relationship with social care, which really needs to be 7 days a week instead of 5 days a week.”

Rob Harwood, chairman of the British Medical Association Consultants Committee, said the medical staff “had a good understanding of the hospital’s capacity over the next few weeks.”

“The only way to ensure that the NHS can cope with the second wave is to provide what it needs for medical services (people, resources, funding), especially in the winter months,” he said. ..

“Without it, the hospital’s capacity is full, the waiting list continues to rise, and doctors and nurses are working on the edge of burnout without proper PPE, so start again from the soles of the feet. There is a risk.

“This cycle cannot continue, so the government not only fulfills its obligation to create a clear and logical message to know how to be safe for the public and how to relieve pressure on hospitals, but also properly. Need to fund a health service so that everyone in need of our help can get it, whether or not we are fighting a pandemic. “