Hospitals in danger of being overwhelmed

Niochorio I live in North Wales and that is very worrying. I am staying in mostly and will continue to do so.

nipsmum

I'm sorry, but i don't believe all hospitals are full to capacity with Covid patients. Not in London and not across the country. Not all patients need ICU either. Of the millions of people in this country its a very very small proportion who require hospital treatment .

Tell me more please. What I've seen and read this situation is out of control and all hospital/staff are really struggling. You must know more than millions of others do.

Ooops! Sorry! That was the total number of admissions for London, but KCL is quite a big hospital, so it puts the numbers in context.

KCL hospital in London has 950 in patient beds in total. Yesterday 977 Covid patients were admitted.

My daughter is a nurse in North Wales and this morning she messaged begging us to stay home, even though we only go out once a week for food shopping. This is a young lady wh never panics, but is panicking now. She says that our hospitals are on the brink and the ambulance service is buckling under the strain. Such is the situation that if either her Dad or myself required critical care and so did a younger person then we wouldn’t have a chance at the moment. Sobering thoughts.

Oh Motherduck. I'm so sorry to hear about your daughter.

It makes me so angry that people still won't accept that hospitals are over-stretched and this is the result.

I still haven't seen anyone since April, apart from people I glimpse walking past. Its ok my husband is here too, I'm not alone

I heard a consultant explaining what it means when it is said "Overwhelmed with Covid patients" and he said it means staff get overwhelmed emotionally because decisions have to be made as to who lives and who dies. It doesn't mean just not enough beds so open Nightingales up. 9 staff for 1 patient in ICU are required when they have to be turned every 30 minutes. There aren't enough well nurses and doctors to support this so extra ventilators etc. won't help.

If what I suffered in December 2019 into 2020 was indeed Covid, then it's hardly surprising that there are people losing their lives. It was no " ordinary " 'flu and I remember telling myself and others at the time that if I should ever have the misfortune of suffering like that again----after years of non-illness---then it would definitely see me off as it took all the strength I had to get better again. Now 80, I was 79 at the time.

I'd never suffered chest/ breathing problems in my life, ever, even though I smoke and knew from past routine x-rays that my chest/lungs were normal with a steady blood oxygen level at 98%, but it was the gasping for air which was different from any cold/ 'flu that I'd ever experienced. If I'd been a panicky person I could well have been carted off to A&E.

Like everything, I took this thing in my stride and when the news came out in March last year I knew I'd have to guard myself like never before. It still took 6 months before I felt fully well. It knocked the stuffing out of me. Those who've had a bad do of it will know only too well.

This isn't something that anyone should take lightly---like a cold or even a winter 'flu and even after the vaccine nobody can afford to be complacent because they think they're covered because nothing is yet known if you happen to come into contact with an infected person. You'll still have to remain indoors as if shielding. It's not a cure-all.

I’m so sorry to hear that motherduck, I can imagine the nurses being devastated that they were unable to provide the level of care your poor daughter so obviously needed. I just don’t understand why some people are not willing to believe how difficult the situation in some hospitals really is at the moment. I hope your daughter is more comfortable now.

Oh Motherduck what a truly horrible situation for you .It just adds to your worries. Loving thoughts to you and your daughter.

I live in London and my local hospital is overwhelmed with Covid cases. Last week I believe there were 400 Covid cases- God knows what the number is now. It has been mentioned on TV it is full to capacity.

I am so sorry motherduck

I was allowed to stay in my daughters room at hospital as she has advanced cancer, admitted for symptoms and pain management.
No exaggeration nothing prepared me for quite how bad it actually is, I know it’s a cliche but it’s a war zone scenario- absolutely horrendous. It certainly educated me. Worse, because resources are so overstretched they were unable to top up her painkilling meds for an hour and 3/4, the longest IHr and 3/4 of my life watching my daughter shaking and howling with pain, it’s inhumane. Any Covid doubters out there please, please tell them our story because although she has thankfully returned to hospice care last night, I DREAD her having to go back to that ‘hospital’, I wouldn’t wish it on anyone believe me.

Seems the Christmas socialising has contributed to the surge and only today a contact tracer has come out and said he has found many stretched the rules and are adding to the increase in cases. I live next door to a childminder. Some of her children are those of essential workers. Yet, nearly every I see these workers arriving and huddled closely at the door with no masks. If they can't comply there is no hope for the rest of us. Yes, some may have been vaccinated but the rules still apply.

As has already been asked by OPs...was the idea of the Nightingale hospitals REALLY thought through ? or was it a publicity stunt to make the government look good ? There was never any discussion as to how or who was going to staff them ......asking retired nursing and medical staff to get on and help and other slogans, did not work either ....25 pages of paper work before you could re register....online learning courses to do ....SURELY these hospitals could and should have been used for recovering patients who no longer required intensive care ? thus freeing up the other NHS hospitals to care for those requiring intensive care, PLUS others with cancer, and other terminal illnesses the treatment for which has been put on hold ? the death certificate may state COVID ...and very sadly it IS ...COVID RELATED ...in other words Covid has caused their death by neglecting their illness such as urgent cancer operations. and the very worst upsetting thing is ......from Boris about the Nightingale hospitals .....NOTHING ! an unacceptable state of affairs. Also, who made the decision to move London patients to the North.....so, pray tell me, when the North is hit as badly,.....where are they sending their patients > oh I know, the empty cruise ships docked offshore in Scotland ...................what should have happened is international co operation, exchange of ideas, medical progress, etc etc instead of Boris trying to act belatedly as Canute and hold back the tide.................come on Boris let;s hear fact instead of rhetoric and slogans .............

Two Health Boards in Wales reported 47% of total beds occupied by Covid patients yesterday, we are a bit ahead of England in terms of the latest outbreak, in South Wales. ITUs were at 126%.

When you take into account other unavoidable emergency admissions for medicine,surgery, trauma, gynaecology, ENT, Eyes Etc., the number of specialist beds, and beds which are for children and maternity - all of which are still needed as well - no I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say there’s a crisis. Hospitals beds are always full of emergency cases in the winter, so to add Covid cases on top of that is bound to massively increase the pressure, particularly other such high staff sickness levels.

nipsmum I suggest you look at the hospital bed occupancy rates for 2019, that will give you more insight.

Acciaccatura

People are wondering what good 3 days lockdown will be if this person, who worked in a quarantine hotel, has been out in the community and unwittingly passed on the new variant virus.

Yes, Palaszczuk has acted quickly but is it enough?

To put that number in context, hospitals in England have approximately 127,000 beds, so about a quarter are taken up with Covid patients, who require higher staffing levels than most other patients.

Yesterday, 29,346 hospital beds were occupied by Covid patients in England. 2,814 patients were in mechanical ventilation beds.

Do you think Public Health England is lying?

nipsmum

I'm sorry, but i don't believe all hospitals are full to capacity with Covid patients. Not in London and not across the country. Not all patients need ICU either. Of the millions of people in this country its a very very small proportion who require hospital treatment .

Why do you think that?

I'm sorry, but i don't believe all hospitals are full to capacity with Covid patients. Not in London and not across the country. Not all patients need ICU either. Of the millions of people in this country its a very very small proportion who require hospital treatment .

Brisbane, Australia, has just gone into a 3 day lockdown. Why? Because there has been ONE single case of the UK variant. These 3 days have been ordered immediately whilst a thorough investigation of track and trace takes place. After that, the next step will be decided. Of course, more about the variant is known at this point but their actions still represent a very speedy response. If only......

I do think Jennifereccles message is important from a mental health perspective though. There is a balance to be had, I feel, between scaring everyone enough so they conform and scaring those who are likely to descend into real mental darkness.

JenniferEccles

The news is very grim, we all know that and we all know how to play our part in helping not to spread the virus.

However if anyone feels completely overwhelmed by the situation it’s worth remembering that the vast majority of people who contract the virus do recover. We have always been told that and it’s still true now.

Yes I know hospitals are swamped with cases and I know some people have lingering symptoms with long covid, but for the sake of everyone’s mental health we need to keep the situation in perspective.

Catching covid is not an automatic death sentence.

Most people don't get hit by bullets in Russian roulette, but it's not a game I'd like to play.