Merseyside NHS staff say ‘doesn’t seem to be any respite’ from winter pressures
Many hospitals across the UK are facing extreme pressures this winter - after numerous critical incidents were declared
Merseyside NHS staff tell us they are in ‘unprecedented times’ as pressures on the service continue to rise.
Nikki Stevenson, the executive medical director at Wirral University teaching hospitals, says these are “unprecedented times.”
Nikki told us: “It's been incredibly busy for and difficult for both our patients and our staff, and I've been a doctor for 28 years and they respiratory consultant for 15 years and this is one of the busiest seasons that I have ever experienced.”
Hospitals throughout the country have declared ‘critical incidents’ in recent days, which allows them to take steps including asking for aid from other services and diverting patients to nearby hospitals.
Critical incidents are rarely used and are generally only reserved for major incidents, but trusts have been forced to activate them in order to keep up with demand.
Nikki said: “The consistency of the pressure is the difference that we've noticed this season because as I said before, we've always experienced winter pressures. But we've been under this degree of pressure for months and years now.”
She added: “This has been a long time for our staff dealing under this increased pressure and we are very mindful of that and we've got a whole heap of support for our staff and to try and help them practical things like at the moment if they you know to provide them lunch for example in busy areas where they don't always get a chance to have a break.”
On Tuesday, Downing Street said the Government has been "up front" with the public about the pressure the NHS faces this winter.
The Prime Minister's official spokesman acknowledged the current pressure on the health service.
He said: "I think we have been up front with the public long in advance of this winter that, because of the pandemic and the pressures it's placed (on) the backlog of cases, that this would be an extremely challenging winter, and that is what we are seeing."