Notts doctor warns NHS is ‘sinking ship’ amid ongoing critical incident

The entire Nottinghamshire NHS system is currently under a ‘critical incident’ meaning healthcare bosses are concerned they cannot provide critical services for patients.

Health bosses wrote an open letter to the public on December 30 explaining how “the local NHS is under the most strain we have ever seen”.

A spokesperson for the Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board, which commissions local healthcare services, said “difficult decisions are having to be made” to focus on the sickest patients.

Critical incidents were also declared in July and September this year in Nottinghamshire.

Dr Irfan Malik, a Nottinghamshrie GP, said the NHS “feels like a sinking ship”.

He said: “Over the last few weeks we’ve noticed our workload has escalated. The demand has gone through the roof in general practice.

“The government has to accept we are in the middle of a desperate NHS crisis.

“I’ve been serving the NHS for 30 years and have never come across a crisis similar to this.

“The system is running on empty. Staff morale is low and there have been strikes.

“I’ve never known a situation as dire as what we are in at the moment.”

More than seven million people nationally are waiting for treatment on the NHS.

Dr Malik, a senior partner at Elmswood Surgery in Sherwood, said people waiting for surgery are getting more poorly and so return to their doctor.

He said: “The government has to look at policies on how to manage the crisis and backlog.

“I haven’t seen anything practical that gives me hope for this year.”

The ICB added: “A critical incident continues to be declared across the health and care system in Nottinghamshire to help prioritise and maintain safe services for patients.

“Staff across the health and care system are working tirelessly to provide the best possible standards of care while the system is under so much pressure and difficult decisions are having to be made to help free up capacity that is needed to focus on our sickest patients.

“Hospital trusts have already had to take decisions to temporarily postpone some elective care treatments, so that we can dedicate our clinical resources to those requiring urgent and emergency care and those who are acutely ill.

“This decision has not been taken lightly and patients affected will be contacted directly by the hospital trusts with an assurance that their treatment will be rescheduled at the earliest opportunity.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “We recognise the pressures the NHS is facing following the impact of the pandemic and are working tirelessly to ensure people get the care they need, backed by up to £14.1 billion additional funding for health and social care over the next two years.

“This winter, the government has provided an extra £500 million to speed up hospital discharge and free up beds – and the NHS is creating the equivalent of at least 7,000 more beds to help reduce A&E waits and get ambulances back on the road.

“We’re supporting and growing the health and social care workforce through training and recruitment campaigns at home and abroad, and there are record numbers of staff working for the NHS, including 9,300 more nurses and almost 4,000 more doctors compared to September 2021.”