Hospitals in Lincolnshire have declared a 'critical incident' over
'extreme and unprecedented' staff shortages.
The United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust (ULHT) said it was 'unable to maintain safe staffing levels', causing 'compromised care'.
An alert from the Trust said a critical incident was declared on Saturday night due to 'compromised' staffing levels at Lincoln County Hospital and Pilgrim Hospital in Boston.
It comes amid warnings the NHS 'could be overwhelmed' as staff sickness rates rocket across the country.
Absences have soared 31% in a week as an expert warned the health service could be overwhelmed “quite quickly”.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/breaking-hospital-trust-declares-critical-25835832
New data today shows 24,632 acute Trust staff in England were absent due
to Covid illness or isolation on Boxing Day.
That is a rise from 18,829 a week earlier and around double the 12,508
Covid absences on December 1.
NHS staff absences reached an even higher level on December 23, before Christmas skeleton rotas kicked in - with 27,716 people absent on the same day. They then dipped slightly on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
The ULHT sounding the alarm about dangerous staff shortages in a
'Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation' (SBAR) alert.
Dr Colin Farquharson, ULHT medical director, 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.
The ULHT's SBAR alert said: "An internal critical incident was declared across the Trust last yesterday and continues into today, due to extreme
and unprecedented workforce shortages meaning that we are unable to
maintain safe staffing levels.
"This is resulting in compromised care across our hospitals, and an inability to maintain a number of key pathways, including those around stroke and cardiac care.
"The rapid increase in staff absent because of sickness is the largest factor in this deterioration in staffing levels, although reduced bank and agency fill is also a factor.
As staff absences soar across the country, the Lib Dems demanded Boris Johnson call an urgent COBRA meeting.
Royal College of Nursing Director for England Patricia Marquis said: “These figures are further evidence of the existing NHS staffing challenges, before any new facilities are opened.
“More beds and fewer staff must not result in patient care becoming less safe.
### - too late boris! even an IDIOT could have seen THIS coming!
lincoln hospital/trust being only the FIRST to start struggling here under such massive staff shortages, the exact same pattern literally being repeated right across the nation in 'every' hospital trust AND industry??
the backlog of millions of people now waiting for 'other' treatments and operations already having reached record numbers, is set now to only get even worse!?
oh boy, another 2 weeks of THIS crap and i dunno WHAT'S gonna happen here?
nada good that's for sure!
and this is only the start of it!?
if ever we NEEDED a miracle it's now!
(miracle? riiight... some hope huh...)
coz shit's gonna happen alright!
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