An A&E consultant at Royal Stoke University Hospital has apologised to patients for the “third world conditions” in his overcrowded emergency department, as growing numbers of hospitals struggle with the winter crisis. Dr Richard Fawcett tweeted on Tuesday: “I personally apologise to the people of Stoke for the 3rd world conditions of the dept due to #overcrowding.”
Milton Keynes University Hospital also admitted it was under “extreme and sustained pressure” from a “very high” number of emergency patients and fewer discharges, with chief executive Prof Joe Harrison saying staff are working under “incredible pressure”. The hospital opened an “unprecedented number of escalation beds” and urged patients to avoid A&E unless it is a genuine emergency.
The Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) vice-president Prof Chris Moulton said the pressure is widespread, not isolated to a few hospitals. He highlighted higher-than-usual flu prevalence, particularly influenza A, which he called “very concerning” as respiratory illness “tips the NHS over the edge in winter”.
Dr Nick Scriven, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, described the situation as “as bad as I’ve known it”, citing nursing shortages and longer delays. At Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham, patients waited up to six hours on New Year’s Day. Dr Taj Hassan of RCEM warned patient safety may be at risk due to “acute or chronic distress”.
Despite extensive NHS winter planning, including extra beds and step-down care, hospitals are buckling. Dr Chris Turner tweeted: “The last time the job felt so impossible for me was Mid-Staffs. This can feel like a personal failure to staff; it’s not, it’s a system fail.”
