NHS summer crisis: Hospitals declare ‘black alerts’ as more operations are cancelled

‘We now have some trust chief executives ... telling us this is the busiest it has ever been’

Hospitals are struggling to cope with rising patient demand this summer (PA)

Rising patient numbers are placing further strain on the NHS across the country, with major hospitals declaring “black alerts” over bed shortages and more operations being cancelled.

Hospital chiefs have warned the NHS is now the busiest it has ever been, and the health secretary, Sajid Javid, has accepted the health service will need more investment.

Two major London hospitals have declared “black alert” incidents in recent days due to bed shortages and increasing numbers of Covid patients, as well as rising numbers of people turning up in A&E.

Bosses at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington were forced to issue a black alert warning on Tuesday and Wednesday this week because of bed pressures across its surgery and medical ward areas.

Charing Cross Hospital in Hammersmith also issued alerts to staff on Tuesday, with doctors across both sites being told to prioritise patients who could be discharged to try and free up beds.

Both hospitals are run by the Imperial College Healthcare Trust, which told The Independent it was seeing “unusual pressure” for the time of year.

Meanwhile, patients needing routine joint surgery at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust have had their operations cancelled this week after a rise in Covid admissions and general pressure from patients attending A&E.

In recent weeks hospitals across England have seen record levels of non-Covid patients turning up at A&E, with a lack of intensive care beds meaning routine surgeries, including for some cancer patients, have been cancelled across England.

All ambulance trusts in England have also reported record levels of 999 calls, with patients left waiting for hours for an ambulance and even some 999 calls being on hold for up to 10 minutes.

At Imperial College Healthcare Trust, there were 83 Covid patients on Tuesday morning, with 17 in critical care with 15 on ventilators. This compared to 74 Covid patients on Friday and 11 on a ventilator.

Professor Julian Redhead, medical director at the trust, said: “We are seeing unusual pressure for the time of year and, while we have not seen the number of Covid-19 patients we had earlier this year, the stable increase in cases does add extra pressure for our hospitals, which are still operating using separate Covid-19 pathways and increased infection control measures, as well as maintaining as much of our planned care as possible.

“These internal alerts, which have been in place for a number of years, help us proactively respond to increases in pressure and ensure we are doing everything we can to ensure this does not impact our patients.”

In Sheffield, one NHS source said the area was now a hotspot for Covid infections. An email to staff in its infectious diseases department sent on Tuesday revealed the trust had stopped all elective, or planned arthroplasty (joint repair) surgery, with an extra ward at the Northern General Hospital being converted to look after Covid patients.

On Tuesday the trust had 90 Covid patients with 13 in critical care.

Dr Jennifer Hill, medical director for the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Trust, said: “Like so many other NHS trusts we have seen a steady increase in the number of Covid patients in recent weeks, from single figures to 90, which, coupled with increased emergency demand and the recovery of paused care, has meant we have had to re-designate our available capacity to manage this demand.

“We had returned all our Covid wards back to normal activity but in recent weeks we have had to change one 26-bed ward back to providing Covid care and, in anticipation of a further increase, we have just re-designated a second ward.

“Thanks to the incredible work of our staff we have been able to minimise the amount of operations cancelled and we monitor the situation daily rather than put a blanket stop in place.”

Chris Hopson, the chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents NHS trusts, said: “What’s particularly striking is how busy all parts of the NHS are – hospitals, community and mental health services, GPs and primary care.

“There is a particular concern about the unprecedented pressure on ambulance services, the fact that this has lasted for a number of weeks, and the impact this is having on both staff and patients.

“We now have some trust chief executives, particularly in the ambulance sector, telling us that this is now the busiest it has ever been.”

Despite hospitals having fewer coronavirus patients, many are trying to recover huge backlogs created by the pandemic. Mr Hopson said staffing levels were “a critical issue” for many NHS trusts, with staff isolating or being encouraged to book long-delayed holiday leave during the summer.

The lack of capacity in the NHS has prompted Mr Javid to warn the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, that the NHS will need more investment in the forthcoming autumn spending review.

Mr Javid also said the long-term plan for the NHS needed be revisited in light of the effects of Covid-19, and with waiting lists now hitting record levels.