Displaying items by tag: NHS

The British Association of Critical Care Nurses said that we may have the beds, equipment and Nightingale spaces, but we have limited staff numbers. It won't take much this winter to reach a crisis point (current new transmissions are 96,000 daily).The second wave is placing an ever greater toll on UK hospitals. There are currently over 1,000 Covid admissions daily. Hospitals have started cancelling routine treatments, or announcing some treatments will have to stop. Although admissions are up, they’re nowhere near the numbers last spring. At one point then, 3,000+ patients were admitted daily. Instead, we see a gradual rise. Winter usually has 1,000 people admitted daily for respiratory problems. It is predicted the 2021 flu season will be mild, but we do not know if it will add to the coronavirus workload. Medical staff all share the feeling of exhaustion that has been heightened by long-standing concerns about staff shortages, and deep resentment about pay and conditions. See

Covid restrictions will be tightened with pub and restaurant closures in some areas. Overnight stays away from home in these areas could also be banned. A three-tier lockdown system is being planned. The NHS is worried about the disease’s spread and patients losing out on other treatments. No 11 is fearful about the impact on the economy. It’s No 10's job to worry about all of it, then reach a conclusion. Pray for the leaders and their advisors as they face a complicated equation. The Academy of Medical Colleges called on people to abide ‘strictly’ to coronavirus measures to prevent NHS services from becoming overwhelmed. It says we could soon be back to where we were in April if we are not all extremely careful. Meanwhile the MP Margaret Ferrier caught coronavirus but then attended church. See. Northern England currently has growing numbers of hospital admissions and more elderly in intensive care.

Ten workers at a hospital in Essex were suspended and two members of staff referred to the police amid claims that vulnerable patients with autism or learning difficulties were ‘dragged, slapped and kicked’. CCTV footage at the hospital, showing episodes of physical and emotional abuse, was passed to police after an unannounced visit by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection unit. At the time, the ten-bed hospital held eight adult female patients, who experienced ‘abusive, disrespectful behaviour' by staff. Staff failed to use ‘appropriate restraint techniques’, became angry with residents, and dragged them across the floor. Suspended workers included some who witnessed incidents but failed to report them. Pray for greater scrutiny of safeguarding procedures in care homes; for godly principles to generate the visible and hidden wellbeing of vulnerable communities; for complaints made by residents to be investigated and acted upon if necessary; and for God’s comfort for the abused.

Rationing plans for coronavirus tests in England will prioritise NHS patients, staff, care homes and key workers - especially teachers - as the Government grapples with a surge in demand. The tiered system for booking tests would follow a similar pattern to testing at the beginning of the pandemic, with NHS patients with respiratory conditions at the top of the list and healthcare staff and those who work in education also prioritised. The new strategy will be published in the week beginning 21 September, detailing efforts for more laboratory capacity, faster testing results, and the prioritisation list for testing. There is concern that making it more difficult to book a test could ultimately hinder efforts to contain the virus. Strict enforcement could quickly become unnecessary if more laboratory capacity were opened. Boris Johnson conceded that there was not enough testing capacity and that many are ‘deeply frustrated’.

In March 2020, just before the national lockdown began, a notice appeared on the government website seeming to allow women to conduct their own medical abortions at home. Outcry followed and the notice was removed, the government website claiming that it was ‘published in error’. Website visitors were reassured that there would ‘be no changes to abortion regulations’. The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care assured the House of Commons, ‘There are no proposals to change the abortion rules due to Covid-19.’ However, now 3 months later the government said, ‘DIY abortions could be a permanent fixture in the UK’. The media reported that up to 90,000 women have used the DIY service since it was introduced in March. The government will release official statistics next week. If 90,000 abortions took place it would make DIY abortion the biggest silent killer of lockdown, more than twice as many fatalities as Covid-19. See also

Complacency over the flu jab risks overwhelming the NHS as data reveals the scale of the challenge in expanding the vaccination programme. Last month, the Government announced plans to double the number of people who receive the jab even though the take-up rate among people in vulnerable groups eligible to have it for free has declined. The UK has an ambition to vaccinate 55% of people in vulnerable groups, such as those with multiple sclerosis, diabetes, or chronic asthma. WHO has previously said countries should vaccinate 75% of people in ‘vulnerable’ categories. Getting the flu vaccine is vital now more than ever with the possible co-mingling of Covid and flu.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has launched Together in Unity to support Anglican communities suffering from the pandemic. The unprecedented and devastating effect of coronavirus on global communities already impacted by conflict, natural disaster, and famine means they are ill-equipped to implement even the most basic hygiene and sanitation measures. Hospitals and clinics are without critical supplies, and lockdown measures have brought wages down to zero. Funds raised through the UK appeal will be distributed to coronavirus-response projects. Also, in the UK people have been making thousands of scrubs and walking miles to raise money for Hospitals. But Asian Christian hospitals have no such support and no government funding. People walk for days or travel on hot overcrowded trains to clinics, but lockdown and widespread fear of the virus has led many people to skip treatments at missionary clinics and hospitals that depend on income from routine treatments to pay staff. See

Pilgrim's Friends Society, which runs Christian care homes, said the government has been worse than neglectful in its care for elderly people for years. Successive governments have put the prospect of good social care plans in the 'too difficult to do' basket. The society was responding to a report which stated that the Government ignored care homes during the coronavirus pandemic. The evaluation of the readiness of the NHS and care homes for the Covid-19 crisis found they were just about able to cope, but it was a different story for adult social care. The report said, ‘Years of inattention, funding cuts and delayed reforms were compounded by slow, inconsistent and at times negligent government approaches to giving the support needed during the pandemic: discharging 25,000 patients from hospitals into care homes without making sure all were first tested for Covid-19, and continuing the patient moves even after it was realised that people could transfer the virus without ever having symptoms.’

Five-year-old disabled Tony Hudgell finished his fundraising challenge on 30 June and raised over £1 million for the hospital that saved his life. He challenged himself to walk every day of June on his prosthetic legs with the aid of two walking sticks, to raise money for the NHS. He made such strides with his walking that he exceeded his distance target of ten kilometres. Tony was an abused baby whose legs were seriously damaged before he was taken into care. His adoptive parents took him to Evelina London Children’s Hospital, resulting in his having both of his legs amputated in 2017. His mother said, ‘We are proud of him for doing so well with his walking, while helping to make a difference to the lives of other children who need the care of Evelina London.’

Nurses who have lived away from home since the early days of the pandemic to avoid the risk of infecting their families were interviewed recently. One says she fears that cases will begin to rise because members of the public, unlike medical staff, seem too eager to ‘move on’. Another said that her friend was admitted to her ward and it shocked her to see her friend fighting for breath and so ill. Thankfully she is now improving but the nurse said, ‘We are still admitting patients on to the Covid ward and I don't see much sign of it stopping. Some people tell us they have not been social distancing - they have been with relatives, or to other houses. I definitely think it is going to get worse before it gets better, because people just think that it is over.’ Pray for God to strengthen and comfort our frontline workers.