Monitoring Desk
LONDON: England’s National Health Service (NHS) has a plan to start discharging thousands of patients into care homes and other settings in the next few weeks in a bid to free up desperately-needed beds during one of its toughest ever winter seasons.
The public sector health service, which delivers free care for to the entire population is under strain following years of underinvestment, the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic, and strike by frontline staff over pay. The service until recently had been a source of pride for many Britons.
Hospital patients in England being treated in corridors
Some patients are being treated in corridors as the ambulances have been queuing outside hospitals so as to hand over patients to emergency staff, while doctors struggle to discharge patients due to shortage of beds and staff.
The government in a statement said that it would make up to 200m pounds of additional funding available in England to buy short-term care places to accomodate patients. The statement did not mention if the NHS in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland would also be putting more funds into care beds.
The NHS is under enormous pressure from Covid and flu, Steve Barclay, health minister, said in the statement. Barclays will address parliament on Monday to share other steps to reduce the pressures facing the health service. British PM Rishi Sunak said last week that reducing hospital waiting lists was one of his government’s five priorities for Britain in 2023. NHS stats show that more than nine in 10 beds in the hospitals were occupied in the week running up to New Year. As many as 13,000 beds a day were taken up by patients who were medically fit to be discharged.
