Patients in Greater Manchester Hospitals Waiting Over 24 Hours for Beds
Patients in Greater Manchester face long waits for hospital beds amid rising flu cases and winter pressures on the NHS
Greater Manchester, NHS, Flu, Winter Pressure, Emergency Services
Greater Manchester: Some patients in hospitals are stuck waiting over 24 hours for a bed. It’s a tough situation, and the pressure is really piling up.
Hospitals are feeling the heat this winter. Flu cases are on the rise, and it’s causing a serious shortage of beds. Many hospitals across the UK are declaring critical incidents.
While Greater Manchester hospitals haven’t officially declared any critical incidents, staff are saying that the wait times for beds are getting out of hand. It’s not just a few hours; we’re talking about more than a day in some cases.
About 20 NHS trusts in England have declared critical incidents recently due to long waits in A&E. Last week, the average number of flu patients in hospitals hit over 5,400 a day, which is a significant jump from the week before.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis from NHS England mentioned that hospitals are under “exceptional pressure.” Some staff even said it feels like the peak days of the pandemic, which is pretty alarming.
This week, reports from Greater Manchester’s NHS hospitals indicate that A&E wait times for a bed can exceed 24 hours. The demand is coming from a mix of Covid, flu, and RSV patients.
To make things worse, the cold weather has led to more falls and broken bones, adding to the chaos in A&E departments.
Just before Christmas, staff described the situation as standing room only in A&Es, with some patients waiting over 36 hours for a bed. It’s heartbreaking to hear about elderly patients lying on trolleys in corridors for hours.
Emergency departments have been overcrowded, with reports of as many as 180 people crammed in. Data also shows that many patients in Greater Manchester were stuck in ambulances for over an hour, waiting to get into hospitals during the holiday season.
There are also many patients who are well enough to go home but can’t be discharged due to a lack of care options available. This is creating an “exit block,” where patients who should be leaving are taking up much-needed beds.
Sir Stephen Powis emphasized how tough it is for front-line staff right now, with many saying their workdays feel like the worst days of the pandemic.
Flu cases are more than three times higher than last year, making this one of the worst flu seasons in years. Saffron Cordery from NHS Providers noted that the combination of cold weather and flu has made for a brutal start to the year.
She warned that things might get worse before they get better, with long waits for ambulances and in A&Es being a major concern. NHS Greater Manchester has been asked for comments on the situation.