Some British hospital emergency units are currently facing a “full state of crisis” in the face of a increase in demand of its services, as alerted by the country’s College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM).
Ian Higginson, the vice president of that body in charge of overseeing the standards of medical care offered by these emergency departments in hospitals, has affirmed that he has “no doubt” that this situation represents a “risk” to patients.
British hospitals are currently experiencing a notable increase in demand for their services, partly due to cases of typical winter diseases such as flu and covid-19.
Several hospitals in the country have declared “critical incidents” in recent days, with which they cannot function normally due to the extraordinary pressures they are suffering while some hospital foundations in the country have come to ask patients to avoid going to emergency units unless they suffer from a life condition Or death.
Higginson has indicated in statements to the British station BBC Radio 4 that the wait that some patients have to keep to be treated by medical professionals in hospital emergency departments they are “terrible” and that these waits have come to last, in some cases, up to four days.
“Emergency units are in a really difficult state and, in some cases, in a complete state of crisis right now. In many cases we find ourselves unable to provide care to the standards that we would like,” he acknowledged.
This expert has also admitted that “there is no doubt that if an ambulance is not sent to someone who suffers a heart attack or a stroke, some of those patients will suffer damage or die as a result.”
“And there is no question that if we treat patients frail, elderly and vulnerable in the corridors (of hospitals), we can’t do our best for them,” he added.
Higginson stressed that a higher investment to support health services.
Source: Lasexta
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
