DAUK has heard that due to some hospitals being short of ICU [intensive care unit] beds, patients are having to be transferred out; distances in some cases are over 100 miles from hospitals in southeast London.
One of our members in north London has reported that because of the surge in patients with Covid-19, oxygen supplies have had to be conserved. The mistakes of the first wave are being repeated while frontline staff are treating sick patients in more and more extreme conditions.
Dr Jenny Vaughan, DAUK, Vice-Chair
The NHS and emergency services in Essex declared a major incident this morning as surging coronavirus cases put further pressure on hospitals.
Londoners received a text message warning them that the ambulance service and hospitals were “extremely busy” and urging them to call 999 only in an emergency. Hospitals have reported oxygen shortfalls and at least one trust has reduced target usage for patients to conserve supplies.
The Essex Resilience Forum, made up of NHS bodies, the emergency services and local authorities, said it was declaring a major incident in response to significant growing demand on hospitals.
The declaration allows local leaders to seek further government support. Queen’s Hospital in Romford reported oxygen usage at 108 per cent on Monday.
Staff at North Middlesex Hospital were told to lower target oxygen saturation rates to patients to between 90 per cent and 94 per cent. A normal rate would be above 95 per cent.
Doctors told The Times that this was safe for patients but it was a highly unusual step.
On Monday the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, southeast London, declared a major incident over fears of an oxygen shortage and asked ambulances to take emergency patients elsewhere.
Jenny Vaughan, vice-chairwoman of the Doctors’ Association UK, said: “DAUK has heard that due to some hospitals being short of ICU [intensive care unit] beds, patients are having to be transferred out; distances in some cases are over 100 miles from hospitals in southeast London.”
Many coronavirus patients require high-pressure oxygen, delivered via pipes with outlets next to each bed. Hospital systems are not designed to cater for so many patients requiring the gas simultaneously. This led to a number of trusts declaring serious incidents during the first wave of Covid-19.
Dr Vaughan said: “One of our members in north London has reported that because of the surge in patients with Covid-19, oxygen supplies have had to be conserved. The mistakes of the first wave are being repeated while frontline staff are treating sick patients in more and more extreme conditions.”
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