Patients in Greater Manchester face long waits for hospital beds as flu cases surge this winter, causing severe pressure on the NHS.
Greater Manchester: It’s been a tough time for patients lately. Hundreds have been stuck in ambulances for over an hour, just waiting to get into hospitals. This all happened during the busy Christmas season when hospital beds were hard to come by.
Can you believe that one in every 14 ambulance arrivals had to wait more than an hour? It’s wild! The hospitals are really feeling the strain, especially with flu cases on the rise.
Just yesterday, Royal Bolton Hospital had to bring back face masks to help control the flu spread. Stepping Hill Hospital is also under a lot of pressure in its A&E department.
Health officials are saying we’re facing a ‘quad-demic’ with Covid, flu, RSV, and norovirus all hitting hard. This winter could be the worst ever for flu, with cases skyrocketing compared to last year.
In fact, there were over 4,400 patients in hospitals with flu just before New Year’s. That’s five times more than last year! And Greater Manchester is seeing even more cases this time around.
Doctors and nurses are saying the demand for beds is so high that patients are sometimes waiting over 20 hours in A&E. It’s really tough, especially for the elderly.
Last week, there were over 5,400 ambulance arrivals in Greater Manchester, and about 400 of those had to wait over an hour. Some hospitals are doing better than others, but the situation is still pretty serious.
Even though Greater Manchester is faring a bit better than the rest of England, the pressure is still intense. The average wait time for patients is around 37 minutes, but it can go up to 54 minutes on busy days.
Nationally, over 12,000 patients were stuck in ambulances for more than an hour during Christmas. It’s been a real struggle for the NHS, and they’re working hard to manage the situation.
Health officials are urging everyone to stay warm and stocked up on medications, especially with the cold weather coming. They’re also reminding folks to use NHS 111 for advice and only go to A&E for emergencies.
Colin Scales from NHS Greater Manchester said they’re doing everything they can to ensure patients get the care they need. They’re working with local councils to free up beds and speed up patient transfers. It’s a tough time, but they’re committed to providing quality care.