'Most difficult Christmas ever' says hospital boss as NHS demand soars in the Midlands
Tracy Bullock says it's been the 'worst' Christmas she's ever faced in 38 years working for the NHS
Health services across the Midlands are facing some of the worse pressures they've ever seen, with demand for care soaring, according to people operating them.
They say hospitals are seeing large number of patients admitted with symptoms of Covid-19 and flu, while delays in discharging large numbers of people due to a lack of suitable care options mean many patients are struggling to get beds.
A backlog of cases caused by the Covid pandemic is also to blame for the current crisis, as well as a large number of vacancies across the health and social care sectors.
Strikes have also been impacting healthcare, with both nurses and ambulance workers walking out in December.
Speaking to ITV News Central, Tracey Bullock, the Chief Executive of University Hospitals North Midlands Trust in Staffordshire, said it was the 'worst' Christmas she'd seen in thirty-eight years working for the health service.
"I've worked 32 Christmasses and I have to say this is the most difficult Christmas I've ever witnessed," she said.
She added that this was due to "the number of people coming in with both flu, covid and other seasonal viruses and infections that we normally see as well, so it's been an incredibly busy month."
'People are sicker and they are staying longer'
In Leicestershire, the head of an integrated care board, Rachna Vyas, suggested that the influx of flu patients were a key reason behind the levels of demand.
"It's numbers of people but more importantly its the acuity of people. People are sicker and they are staying longer in the service than we would normally have in a normal year."
"Some of that is due to underlying illness that has built up during the pandemic but some of it is just the impact of the respiratory load we're experiencing at the moment."
NHS trusts in the Midlands declare critical incidents as crisis worsens
A number of NHS trusts in the Midlands have declared critical incidents, including in Nottingham, Derbyshire, and Stoke on Trent, whilst others are trying to raise awareness of the level of demand that services are experiencing.
Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust say staff are facing 'extreme pressure,' while a number of staff at hospital trusts in Nottinghamshire wrote an open letter to local people saying that the service was under 'the most strain' it had 'ever seen.
Northampton General Hospital says it is experiencing 'high demand', while visiting remains suspended due to the spread of both Covid-19 and flu.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman acknowledged the current pressure on the health service and described it as an “unprecedented challenge” on Tuesday.
“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.”
Labour has criticised the Government’s management of the health service, while the Liberal Democrats have called for Parliament to be recalled early.
Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, warned that the health service is in a "fragile state" at the most difficult period of the year.
He told ITV News: "When we are hit by things like flu and Covid, it's very difficult for us to cope... the situation for many staff becomes almost unbearable."
"Secondly, as ministers return to their desks, we need to see negotiations reopening with nurses trade unions [and] ambulance drivers unions, because otherwise we'll face four days of industrial action in January on top of all these pressures.
"There is more money for the health service but it's come after many years of austerity and it will take several years to build the NHS back to where it needs to be."