By George-Peter Boyd
Crisis ahead? Leicester Royal Infirmary (Image source: Google Images)
A Registered Nurse at Leicester Royal Infirmary fears that a lack of available beds and higher patient numbers is leading the NHS into a ‘Winter Crisis’.
The nurse, who wishes to stay anonymous, said: “Due to a higher incidence of seasonal illness and exacerbation of long-term conditions, there are additional pressures placed onto the health service which is already tight for bed capacity.
“With a shortage of almost 50,000 nurses in England alone, we simply don’t have the staff to safely staff more beds.
“This results in blocked emergency departments.”
The current general election campaign has shown that NHS funding is at the forefront of voters’ concerns within all parties that are pledging to increase the NHS budget.
When asked if they think the current situation deters people from joining the NHS, the nurse stated: “Yes. I think people are not looking to go into NHS careers at the moment because of the negative media coverage of working life and its pressures.”
According to the nurse, Leicester Royal Infirmary has about 600 to 800 people attending A&E a day, with long waits to offload people from ambulances, leading to challenging and potentially unsafe conditions.
The solution? More beds, more staff, and more funding, stressed the nurse.
“Opening up more hospital beds requires more central funding, more nurses to staff these beds and the additional facilities and support services to upkeep them and provide the necessary care.
“The NHS is one of the most efficient publicly funded organisations and health care systems around the world, yet it is still running a deficit, which evidences the lack of funding received.”
