North East doctor says extreme NHS pressures remind her of 'third world medicine'
A North East GP who works in urgent care has said that working under a stretched NHS service "reminds her of third world medicine."
Dr Alison George, who works at several locations in the North East, has said that she is worried for patient safety amidst growing pressures on the service.
She said: "It's just shocking and I feel very cross with he government that they won't even admit that this is a crisis.
"They keep talking about unprecedented challenges. This is a major health crisis. People are dying unnecessarily."
It comes as patients across the North East and North Cumbria are being told to only call 999 or visit A&E if their condition is a threat to life or limb.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said : "We recognise the pressures the NHS is facing following the impact of the pandemic and we are working tirelessly to ensure people get the care they need."
Dr George told ITV News Tyne Tees that she is concerned that patients are being "disabled" as a result of the crisis.
She said: "People are being disabled unnecessarily.
"People are waiting at home to get call backs from 111 and then they are waiting when they get to A&E, and they are lying on a trolley or sitting on a hard chair."
She added: "If they are not feeling very well, they might not be able to get to the toilet or get a drink or get something to eat.
It reminds me very much of third world medicine."
Dr George said that these pressures are leading to trauma for both patients and staff.
"You are having to see people with frightened faces and in distress," she said.
"You come home and you go over all those images that you have seen and some of them won't leave. Some of those images will stay with you forever. It is shocking."
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said that the service will be "backed by up to £14.1 billion additional funding for health and social care over the next two years."
It added: “This winter, the government has provided an extra £500 million to speed up hospital discharge and free up beds – and the NHS is creating the equivalent of at least 7,000 more beds to help reduce A&E waits and get ambulances back on the road.
"We’re supporting and growing the health and social care workforce through training and recruitment campaigns at home and abroad, and there are record numbers of staff working for the NHS, including 9,300 more nurses and almost 4,000 more doctors compared to September 2021.”
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