Major UK hospitals are failing to cope with a seasonal influx of patients with flu and other viral illnesses, with waits in emergency departments in some cases totaling 50 hours, the Times reports, citing medics.
“Eight major hospitals have declared a critical condition in the past 24 hours due to ‘exceptionally high demand’ (for medical care) because of the seasonal strain on emergency departments due to the flu, and one hospital warned that the wait for care could be as long as 50 hours,” the publication writes.
It is noted that National Health Service (NHS) chiefs have said staff are under significant pressure as flu cases “spiked” to around five thousand a day at the end of December. In addition to flu, hospitals are also facing continued strain due to cases of coronavirus and norovirus.
In particular, Liverpool’s Royal Liverpool University Hospital has announced emergency department patients will have to spend 50 hours in the emergency department. And hospitals in Hampshire and Plymouth have declared a state of emergency, meaning their services are so busy that “special measures” are needed to restore normal operations.
2,210 total views, 4 views today
