NHS facing ‘most difficult winter in its history’ as leaders call for £500 staff bonuses
The NHS is facing the “most difficult winter in its history”, with almost 90% of hospital trust leaders feeling “extremely concerned”, research has found.
NHS Providers, which carried out the survey, said that while cases of COVID-19 are “well below” their peak in January, some trusts are “beyond full stretch”.
It is urging the government to offer cash bonuses of about £500 to stop social care staff leaving for jobs in “hospitality, supermarkets, or online firms such as Amazon”.
Almost 90% of trust leaders surveyed said they were extremely concerned. File pic
Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, said the bill would come to about £750m.
He said: “While £500 is not as high as some employers in retail and hospital are offering as a ‘golden hello’ in the run up to Christmas, this is a price worth paying if it helps keep social care functioning as we need it to through the winter.”
The organisation said the “traditional peak of winter demand usually runs from mid-November to end-February, with pressure often greatest in January”.
Health leaders are calling on the government to take “immediate, emergency action to support social care”, it added.
Many trusts are said to be finding it difficult to recruit staff. File pic
NHS Providers said it had spoken to 172 board level trust leaders from 114 trusts,
According to its results, 87% are extremely concerned about the impact of winter on their trust and local area.
When asked the same question last year, the figure was 56%.
Moreover, 94% said they are extremely or moderately concerned about staff burnout.
Mr Hopson said that some trust leaders are “finding it impossible to recruit extra staff”.
People who work in care homes in England must now be double-vaccinated, while those in other health settings have been given an April deadline.
The BHF says there is a ‘cardiology NHS workforce crisis’. File pic
Meanwhile, the number of people waiting more than six weeks for a heart scan is 20 times higher than it was before the pandemic, a charity has said.
In addition, analysis from the British Heart Foundation (BHF) has found that NHS England is doing 10,000 fewer echocardiograms (echos) each month than before the pandemic.
Echos look at the structure of the heart and are routinely used to diagnose congenital disease and problems with valves.
The BHF said it is concerned that reduced access to the tests may have created a large backlog of people who need treatment.
“Long waits put lives at risk,” it said. “Delaying a heart disease diagnosis increases the likelihood of death or disability.”
It said the government “must act now” to address the “cardiology NHS workforce crisis” and outline how “newly announced diagnostic centres” could be brought into play.
The most recent figures show that at the end of September, 64,962 people in England had waited more than six weeks for an echo, compared to 3,238 at the end of February 2020, BHF said.
The total waiting list is 149,050, with 44% waiting six weeks or more.
Diane Phillimore is waiting for a scan, and says the ‘whole situation is shocking’
Diane Phillimore, 63, a carer from Calne in Wiltshire, needs an echocardiogram to show if she requires surgery to repair or replace a valve in her heart.
Her original appointment in March 2020 was cancelled because of the pandemic. It has now been rescheduled for this month – 20 months later.
“The whole situation is shocking,” she said. “I just want to know if I need surgery or if my heart is working properly, so I can move forward. Until then, it’s always there in the back of my mind.”
Sonya Babu-Narayan, Associate Medical Director at BHF, said: “Waiting lists for heart treatments were too long even before the pandemic began.
“Without an echocardiogram, doctors can’t see how well the heart is working and if someone needs potentially life saving treatment for heart disease.”
The Department for Health and Social Care has been approached for comment.
A fresh weather warning for snow has been issued for southern England, with cautions for snow and ice already in place across much of the country.
The Met Office’s yellow weather warning for snow covers the southern counties of England from 9am until midnight on Wednesday.
The warning stretches from Kent to Cornwall and up to south London and the Met Office said between two and five centimetres of snow could accumulate fairly widely, with as much as 10cm over higher ground.
Pic: Met Office
This week is expected to see the coldest nights of the year, with temperatures potentially reaching -14C on Wednesday night and -16C on Thursday night, both in the North East of England and Scotland, the Met Office said.
Weather warnings issued on Tuesday for snow and ice covering the Midlands, parts of North Wales, the North West of England, west and northern parts of Scotland as well as Northern Ireland will remain in place until midday on Wednesday.
The forecaster said some roads and railways are likely to be affected and there could be icy patches on untreated roads.
Pics: AP
Meanwhile the Environment Agency has said at least 300 properties have flooded across England since New Year’s Eve. It estimates more than 41,000 properties have been protected.
Heavy rainfall over the New Year caused significant river and surface water flooding across the North West of England and Yorkshire and snowmelt has brought further disruption to parts of England, particularly the Midlands, the agency said.
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Floods minister Emma Hardy said: “My sympathies go out to the people, businesses and communities impacted by the recent flooding across the country.
“I want to express my heartfelt thanks for the vital work that the Environment Agency and emergency services are doing to keep people safe. People must continue to follow their advice and sign up for flood warnings.”
Flood warnings
Some 100 flood warnings were in force across England on Wednesday, with people urged to remain vigilant over the coming days.
A danger-to-life warning was issued on Tuesday morning for the River Soar near Barrow upon Soar, Leicestershire, but was later removed.
People living in caravan parks in the area were urged by the Environment Agency to act, with a large-scale evacuation needed to save lives.
Firefighters have rescued dozens of people across Leicestershire since Monday, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service said.
Hundreds of schools were closed across the UK, with road and rail links blocked, as Manchester, Bristol and Liverpool John Lennon airports suspended flights because of the conditions.
A six-month-old baby who died after a collision in a multi-storey car park was on a family holiday to Wales.
Sophia Kelemen from Leigh, Manchester, died after the crash in a car park in the coastal town of Tenby, Pembrokeshire, on 2 January.
Sophia’s aunt, Adriana Kelemen, has now launched a fundraiser to help cover funeral costs.
Writing on the page, Ms Kelemen said “never in a million years” did she think she would have to write such a post.
Ms Kelemen said she hoped to “ease a very small part of [her] brother and sister-in-law’s hurt” by raising money to cover part of the funeral costs.
Sophia was taken to hospital after the crash and treated for her injuries but died the following day, police confirmed.
Dyfed-Powys Police said the crash happened on the ground floor of the car park and that a man had been charged in connection with the incident.
Sophia Kelemen. Pic: Adriana Kelemen/GoFundMe
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, Ms Kelemen described her niece as “smiley and bubbly” and “so advanced for her age”.
Sophia was “playful and energetic” and “the cutest and most adorable girl”, her aunt added.
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A spokesperson for Dyfed-Powys Police said Sophia’s family were being supported by specialist officers.
The force said it was a “tragic incident” and asked the public not to speculate on the circumstances.
Jess Phillips has said “nothing is off the table” when dealing with the grooming gangs scandal – including a new national inquiry if victims want one.
The safeguarding minister told Sky’s political editor Beth Rigby on the Electoral Dysfunction podcast that she would listen to victims on a new panel that was announced by the government this week.
“Nothing is off the table,” she said.
“And if the victims come forward to me in this victims panel and they say, ‘actually, we think there needs to be a national inquiry into this’, I’ll listen to them.”
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Her comments come days after it emerged she had rejected calls from Oldham Council to hold a government inquiry into grooming gangs in the town, and said the council should commission one instead.
That has led to tech billionaire Elon Musk attacking her and Sir Keir Starmer for not holding a national inquiry and accusing the prime minister of being “complicit” in the abuse.
Professor Alexis Jay finished an eight-year national inquiry into child sexual abuse in 2022 and set out recommendations for the government.
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The Conservatives tabled an amendment to the Children’s Safeguarding and Schools Bill on Wednesday to require a statutory inquiry into grooming gangs.
However, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson told Sky News the Tories “don’t care about children” as the amendment could prevent the entire bill from going forward.
She said: “The measures that I’m setting out today and the legislation in many ways go further because it puts a requirement on all councils to have teams working to keep children safe.
“And the bandwagon jumpers that have come along in recent days, they don’t care about children, they don’t care about making sure that we stop this and we take action.
“They had years to do it and they didn’t do it.”
The Conservatives also rejected a call from Oldham Council for a government inquiry in 2022.
You can listen to Beth’s full interview with Jess Phillips in a special episode of Electoral Dysfunction released on Thursday.
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