Some British hospital emergency units are currently facing a “complete state of crisis” before an increase in the demand for their services, as alerted this Monday by the College of Emergency Medicine of the country (RCEM).
Ian Higginson, the vice president of that body in charge of overseeing the standards of medical care offered by these hospital emergency departments, said he has “no doubt” that this situation poses a “risk” to patients.
British hospitals are currently experiencing a notable increase in demand for their services, in part due to cases of typical winter diseases such as the 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 even asked patients to avoid going to the units emergency room unless they are suffering from a life-threatening condition.
There is no doubt that if we treat frail, elderly and vulnerable patients in the corridors, we cannot do the best for them.
Higginson said today in statements to the British station BBC Radio 4 that the waits that some patients have to wait to be treated by medical professionals in hospital emergency departments are “terrible” and that these waits have lasted, 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 we would like.“, he acknowledged.
This expert 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 doubt that if we treat frail, elderly and vulnerable patients in the corridors (of hospitals), we cannot do the best for them,” he added, stressing that more investment is needed to support health services.
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