With the proliferation of patients in the intensive care unit, London’s top hospitals will be “almost only Covid”

No LondonThe largest hospitals in Japan are struggling to convert operating rooms and stroke wards into intensive care units as a number of serious illnesses. COVID-19 The patient spirals far beyond what was seen during the first wave of the pandemic.

Hospital workers Parents Enrollment in the trust has already exceeded the levels seen during the first wave of the spring pandemic.

Elaine Thorpe of Critical Care Matron said she and her colleagues have installed 20 new intensive care beds Christmas EveWas full by New Year’s Eve..

She tells the Guardian: “The biggest thing for me is that I’m terribly worried about my team. Nurses have to spread themselves thinly. Go back to the previous level. One ICU nurse, 4 I was caring for more than one patient, and we are already weeping a lot. “

There were 220 in a 500-bed hospital COVID According to the paper, as of Thursday, the number of patients has increased by 5% per day.

But the real pressure is on intensive care, which currently has 70 seriously ill patients, and the number is growing rapidly, explains Marcel Levi, CEO of University College London Hospital Trust (UCLH). Did.

“This is much more than we had in March and April,” Levi emphasized, adding that University College Hospitals are admitted from other underserved hospitals.

The Whitechapel Hospital has more than 90 patients in the adult emergency room, and according to emails sent to workers, “the number of Covid patients continues to grow rapidly.”

Just under half of the confidence in all major hospitals in the UK (64 out of 140) sees more Covid patients than at the peak of the pandemic spring wave. This includes 12 of 19 acute trusts in Southeast England.

According to the latest NHS figures, 629 patients with Covid-19 symptoms were admitted to a London hospital on December 27, 22 days more than the day before, and have been steadily rising in recent weeks.

Throughout London, the number of beds filled with Covid-19 patients was 5,371 on December 29, more than 400 more than the previous day’s total, almost double the level on December 19.

Earlier this week, a senior doctor set up a tent outside a hospital where London and Southeastern trusts are usually reserved for sudden events such as terrorist attacks and industrial disasters to triage patients. He said he was considering options.

Meanwhile, an emergency Nightingale Hospitals across the UK are “prepared” for use as needed.

The London NHS was asked to confirm that the Excel Center site was “reactivated and ready to accept patients” in the struggle faced by healthcare professionals in the city. ..

But it’s not just the capital hospitals that are getting more and more nervous.

Dr. Alison Pittard, Dean of the School of Intensive Care Medicine, said he was afraid that additional demand in London would begin to spread nationwide.

She told the BBC Radio 4 Today show on Friday: I was asked if the problem was more “widespread”. “It seems like it’s happening.

“Everyone has seen what’s happening in London, and pressure on both the organization and staff. It’s only a matter of time before it begins to spread to other parts of the country. Are afraid. They are starting to see it.

“It’s really important for us to try to stop the infection in the community because it leads to hospitalization.”

Dr. Pittard said the staff were “tired and exhausted” as the workload increased after a busy month dealing with coronavirus patients.

She added that moving patients to less busy hospitals for intensive care was a “logistic nightmare” and spent additional staff time.

Meanwhile, Adrian Boyle, vice president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, told BBC Breakfast that emergency medicine is trying to “crisis”, but “what will happen in the coming months?” I don’t know, I’m worried. We are very at the battle station.

“In the short term, morale will skyrocket, but people are tired, frustrated, and tired because everyone is likely to work in a hospital.

“People who receive emergency medical care expect it to be severe from time to time. I’m really worried about burnout.”

He said there were “massive rallies” in April and March, but it is uncertain to maintain them for long periods of time because no one knows when the surge in incidents will end.

As for how these issues can be addressed, “it depends on the general public starting to get involved, following the rules, keeping a social distance, and doing everything they are supposed to do. “He said.

Mike Adams, England’s director of the Royal College of Nursing, said the country was in “stormy eyes” and the situation was “unsustainable.”

He told Sky News: “We fell into this pandemic with a very shortage of medical staff, especially nurses.

“Then, adding the percentage of fatigue, fatigue, and illnesses that started creeping in, this is a result no one wants, but it’s really a last resort for people to get out of vacation.

“In the long run, this has a negative impact on workers. People need breaks and have to take breaks.

“So it’s a stormy eye and it’s an unsustainable situation.”