The festive period may be a time of celebration and cheer for most of us, yet medical staff across the country are gearing up for their busiest time of the year. Services across the NHS are set to face a strain not just in terms of workload, but everything from the amount of hospital beds taken up to the demand placed on the primary care services.
Whilst the health service is looking to recruit more and more recruits into GP and nurse jobs, demand on the system is the biggest issue along with a lack of trained professionals. Approximately 89% of hospital beds were occupied over winter last year, delaying treatment by more than 18 weeks for a tenth of all patients. £80 million was lost this way and that’s before the impact on primary care.
On the frontlines, nearly 10% of visitors to A&E were found to have waited more than 4 hours to see a staff member. With the level of severe conditions such as major physical injury, respiratory issues and dementia being on the up, resources have to be spent elsewhere and not on issues that can likely be treated at home. Prevention is better than treatment though so remember to think before picking up the phone this Winter.
And keeping your house warm with 2 RED may help to keep the bugs at bay.
Winter Pressures on the NHS – An infographic by the team at Primary Care People
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