‘F***ing petrifying’: London hospital declares ‘critical incident’ as Covid-19 crisis cranks up pressure on UK healthcare system
A hospital in north west London has declared a “critical incident” as it counts those requiring a high level of care, revealing that it doesn’t have enough space to treat such people, due to an escalation in coronavirus patients.
In a message sent to its workers on Thursday, Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow said that it has no critical care capacity left, reports the Health Service Journal (HSJ). The UK has seen 177 deaths linked to Covid-19 as of Friday – up 39 in 24 hours.
I am writing to let you know that we have this evening declared a ‘critical incident’ in relation to our critical care capacity at Northwick Park Hospital. This is due to an increasing number of patients with Covid-19.
The hospital, run by London North West University Healthcare Trust, revealed that they had contacted nearby hospitals about transferring critical care patients to other medical sites. Six deaths at Northwick Park were related to Covid-19.
A senior director at another London NHS trust didn’t hold back expressing his fears surrounding the Covid-19 crisis, saying “Given we’re in the low foothills of this virus, this is f***ing petrifying.”
Also on rt.com ‘Very poorly equipped’: UK facing dire scarcity of ventilators as Covid-19 cases increase, says largest manufacturerIt comes as West Yorkshire Prepared – the region’s Local Resilience Forum (LRF) of police and council chiefs – declared the coronavirus pandemic on Friday a ‘major Incident.’ In a statement the LRF said that they were “no longer in a business-as-usual position.”
Under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, the forum has authority to call a major incident across West Yorkshire.
On Wednesday, Andreas Wieland, CEO of Swiss manufacturer Hamilton Medical, warned that the UK’s health system was facing a “massive shortage” of ventilators needed to treat severe coronavirus cases and would “pay the price” for failing to invest ahead of time.
PM Boris Johnson announced on Friday evening that all pubs, cafes and restaurants across the UK will close starting that night, in a ramped-up bid to stymie the spread of the virus.
Also on rt.com PM Johnson says ‘cafes, pubs, bars and restaurants’ will close as UK steps up Covid-19 responseThink your friends would be interested? Share this story!
