Lincolnshire hospitals struggling with staff shortages months before critical incident
Since mid-November, figures show that at least 600 members of staff have been off every single day
We're hearing Lincolnshire's hospitals have been struggling with staff shortages for months, which led to a critical incident being declared.
Since mid-November, figures show that at least 600 members of staff have been off every single day.
A woman, who works for the NHS, but has recently been a patient, told us it was scary being on the wards.
"I think it reached that point long before it was declared.
"It was just chaotic. You could see that communication just completely broke down. There were so many things that were missed.
"I was discharged from A&E with a cannula still in.
"I was quite unwell, confused, and disorientated, so didn’t notice it until I got home. I think they’re just so busy it got completely overlooked.
"Once I was sent for an x-ray and came back to find someone else in my bed.
"Another time I was discharged and told I was ok, only to be asked to return because they missed something. That could have been life threatening.
"When I went back in December I was scared.
I actually rang 111 and begged them to find me an alternative, to send me to out of hours or something like that instead, there were just too many patients and too few staff."
She said it's heart-breaking to see her colleague's struggling.
"You could see staff compromising their own wellbeing.
"One nurse said she didn’t have a drink for her entire shift. I felt so sorry for them, you could see how warn down they were, how frustrated they were because they don’t want to let anyone down.
"I really wanted to support them, defend them, jump in and help, but it’s hard not being able to do that as a patient.
"It really tore me up, I felt really, really sad.
"I saw student nurses that had just come in, and all I wanted to do was hug them."
A hospital spokesperson said:
“We are unable to comment on individual cases.
"However, if the patient has concerns about any aspect of their care we would ask them to contact us directly so that we can look into this for them.”
Medical Director Dr Colin Farquharson said:
“As a result of significant staffing pressures due to absence related to COVID-19, we are having to take additional steps to maintain services.
"Our staff continue to work exceptionally hard and we would like to reassure our patients and the public that in spite of the challenges faced, essential services remain fully open for anyone who needs them, so people should continue to come forward for care.
"People can help us to help them by getting their COVID booster vaccine to protect themselves and their families and reduce pressure on health services.”