Essex calls in ARMY to man hospitals in ‘major incident’ with Covid patients treated in tents and ambulances
ESSEX today called in the Army after declaring a major incident at their crippled hospitals with patients being treated in the back of ambulances. Sir Bernard Jenkin, MP for Harwich and North Essex, made the plea as it was revealed frontline workers are facing unprecedented pressure. He asked Health Secretary Matt Hancock for military support […]
ESSEX today called in the Army after declaring a major incident at their crippled hospitals with patients being treated in the back of ambulances.
Sir Bernard Jenkin, MP for Harwich and North Essex, made the plea as it was revealed frontline workers are facing unprecedented pressure.
Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates
He asked Health Secretary Matt Hancock for military support in building extra hospitals and to help roll out the Covid vaccine.
Sir Bernard told MPs today: “I can confirm that Essex has declared a major incident and can I also inform [Hancock] that at this very moment they are submitting a request for military assistance to the civil authority, a MACA request to assist with the construction of community hospitals, additional hospital capacity and supported by the armed forces and party staffed by the armed forces.
“They would also like armed forces help with the roll-out of the vaccine to accelerate that in Essex and to assist with testing in schools.”
Hancock replied: “What he says about the pressures in Essex is very significant and it is important.
“Of course I will look favourably on any request for military assistance, working closely with (Ben Wallace) who has been incredibly supportive as have the whole armed forces during this whole year.”
It comes as a junior doctor revealed he was surprised by the number of young Covid patients he sees who do not have any pre-existing health conditions.
Dr Yousef Eltuhamy, who works at a London hospital, made the comments ahead of millions of Brits being plunged into the toughest Tier 4 restrictions today.
He told BBC Breakfast: “It’s actually really surprising.
“I didn’t expect to see so many young people, people in their 40s and their 50s, patients who don’t have any prior medical history at all.
I really don’t take this lightly and I don’t think anyone should take this virus lightly, young or old.”
Health authorities have warned NHS workers are facing having to make the “horrendous” life and death choice over which patients will be able to access ventilation if cases continue to soar.
The grim warning came as almost 1,000 people lost their lives to the disease in the highest toll since April.
A further 50,023 more tested positive for Covid as cases continue to explode due to a new mutant strain – leaving hospitals on the brink of collapse.
Footage on social media has already emerged showing the pressure on hospitals with ambulances seen lined up outside the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel and Queen’s Hospital in Romford, both in east London, on Tuesday.
Some hospitals say they are running out of oxygen and even pillows as they struggle to cope with the swell of patients.
Medics are also said to be considering setting up war-style triage tents in car parks to treat the never-ending stream of people struck down by the new mutant strain of the deadly bug.
The major incident was declared in Essex following a “significant growing demand” on hospitals across the region.
Staff at Southend Hospital have been asked to cancel their leave to deal with the unprecedented demand, the BBC reported today.
The announcement means local leaders will seek further government support, the Essex Resilience Forum (ERF) said.
The ERF – which is made up of members of the NHS, emergency services and local authorities – added that the number of patients in Essex receiving treatment for Covid-19 now exceeds those seen at the peak of the first wave.
It was revealed today that the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital could be asked to help ease pressure on hospitals in Essex.
And health staff are now considering the option of setting up tents outside hospitals to triage patients, as they work in “major incident mode”, a senior doctor said.
Emergency medicine consultant Simon Walsh, who is deputy chair of the British Medical Association’s UK consultants committee, said such plans are normally reserved for dealing with major incidents such as terror attacks or big industrial disasters.
He said: “(Many trusts are) having crisis meetings, they’re calling on staff to come in to work if they’re able to on their days off.
“They are dealing with queues of ambulances outside many emergency departments, often with patients sat in the ambulances for many hours until they can be offloaded into the department because there simply isn’t any space to put them in.
“Hospitals are even considering setting up tents that you would see outside in an actual major incident. All emergency departments have a plan for dealing with a sudden surge of patients from a major incident.
“That often involves setting up a tent outside in which patients can be triaged and held in an area because the emergency department just doesn’t have capacity for that number of patients arriving at one time.”
NHS Providers’ deputy chief executive Saffron Cordery has since warned pressure on the NHS was “rising at an unsustainable rate”.
In a desperate attempt to cope, it was reported Covid-hit London hospitals could even send patients to YORKSHIRE as intensive care units reach breaking point at 114 per cent capacity.
And Claudia Paoloni, a consultant anaesthetist in the NHS and president of the HCSA told The Guardian: “Our NHS just doesn’t have the beds to cope. Some areas will be overwhelmed in days.
“If ventilation capacity is exceeded, horrendous choices will have to be made over those who live and die.”
Regional NHS bosses are reportedly discussing the demand for oxygen as patients are shuttled between hospitals – with a source telling The Independent it was a “ticking time bomb”.
Queues of ambulances were pictured outside of hospitals yesterday with palliative care doctor Rachel Clarke tweeting there was a “sick patient inside every one” of the vehicles.
She wrote: “This is the reality of Covid – right here, right now. Hospitals are at breaking point.”
A statement released by the Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Queen’s Hospital, confirmed their hospitals were under “significant pressure”, saying: “(Some patients) are being cared for safely in ambulances before entering Queen’s Hospital.”
Today, the BBC reported that ambulances have been forced to queue outside William Harvey Hospital with 374 beds occupied by Covid patients as of December 22.
East Kent Hospitals said it is treating “double the number of Covid patients than we had in the first wave”.
In Essex, fears are emerging that cases are only set to increase – putting more pressure on hospitals.
Critical care and bed capacity are among areas of concern, as well as staff sickness and the ability to discharge patients quickly into safe environments.
Anthony McKeever, executive lead for Mid and South Essex Health and Care Partnership, said: “We are taking every action possible within the NHS and across the wider health and social care partnerships in Essex to limit the impact on the NHS and the wider health system.
“This involves using critical care capacity elsewhere in Essex and the eastern region and identifying additional locations and capacity to assist with the discharging of patients to reduce pressure on hospitals.”
He added: “Our strong working relationships mean we are able to respond effectively to support our local communities.”
Chief Constable of Essex Police and co-chair of the Essex Local Resilience Forum, BJ Harrington, said: “Declaring a major incident enables us to seek further support from the government to address the severe pressures which the health system is under because of COVID-19.
“The people of Essex have been magnificent and are only dialling 999 or attending A&E in an emergency – we need this to continue because this will help protect the very limited capacity available at our hospitals.”
The county, which is currently in Tier 4, is home to the three highest Covid infection rates in England.
Brentwood has the highest, with 969 new cases recorded in the seven days to 25 December – equivalent to 1,258.1 cases per 100,000.
Epping Forest has the second highest rate, with 1,654 new cases over that period and an increase to 1,256 cases per 100,000.
Most read in UK News
Thurrock is in third place, although the rate there has fallen slightly to 1,181.6 per 100,000 with a total of 2,060 new cases.
Surging cases in London and the South East, are being blamed on the new mutant Covid strain.
According to Public Health England, people with the mutant variant are 54 per cent more likely to pass it on to others.
