Ais he The NHS crisis has deepened in recent weeks, frontline staff have posted vivid and troubling accounts on social media of what has been happening at their workplaces. Many have described the NHS, and often themselves, as “broken”. They have recounted the difficulty of providing adequate care, the impact of severe understaffing and their fears for the future of the NHS.
This is a selection of some of the doctors, nurses and others National Health Service the staff have been saying.
‘I’ve been on the verge of tears’
I was close to tears tonight as I apologized to patients for the standards of care we are able to provide. In my 22 years of being an A&E doctor I have never seen anything this bad. It is the same everywhere.
I just hope patients know that the fault lies with politicians, not NHS staff.
Dr. Rob Galloway, A&E ConsultantBrighton
‘I have never felt so disappointed’
I’ve never seen A&E like this. She had never seen staff so mentally and physically exhausted. I have never felt so concerned about our patients. I have never felt so let down by those who have the power to fix this. When will someone say enough?
Nicola Smart, A&E charge nurse, Edinburgh
‘State of play feels terminal’
The moral damage that health personnel are suffering this winter is worse than the moral damage from the height of the pandemic.
The pandemic was considered inevitable, outside the full control of the government. This winter is mainly a consequence of political decisions.
I can’t shake the feeling that the current state of the game feels terminal.
jason, GP
‘This is not OK’
I feel broken! I’m not sure how much longer I can take this or watch my friends/colleagues/patients suffer. I never thought I would say that. This is not OK!
emmaphilpemergency nurse, Edinburgh
‘The teams are working incredibly hard’
We saw just under 400 patients in the Milton Keynes hospital emergency department [ED] yesterday, the highest number in history. We have seen an unprecedented number of patients seeking emergency care every day for the past eight days. The ER team and teams across the hospital are working incredibly hard.
I know that patients have been waiting longer, and some much longer than usual in the ER. I am very sorry for those longer wait times. I know you might be scared or anxious. We’ll see each other as soon as we can. Please do not yell or abuse our staff; they are doing the best they can.
Prof Joe Harrison, CEO of the Milton Keynes teaching hospital NHS trust
‘People are dying’
I just can’t stay in medicine if this is what it’s going to be from now on. The system is broken.
It is impossible to provide good care to everyone – that ship sailed a long time ago. It’s no longer “people are going to die.” People are dying.
When you have 42 patients waiting for beds, in an ED with 14 major beds, eight minor beds, and six resuscitation beds, how the hell does anyone make that work? It is impossible.
Dr. Andrew Punton, Internal Medicine Physicianwest of scotland
‘This is a humanitarian crisis’
Yesterday I treated a lady who had been waiting for an ambulance for 18 hours.
She was saturated in her own urine and feces. Confused, scared and septic. He was 63 years old and was normally fine. This could be you.
Time to declare a critical incident; This is a humanitarian crisis.
Truly terrible times right now.
will paramedicEngland
‘We are at a turning point’
I am a Consultant Physician working as an NHS Physician in Yorkshire and Wales for 32 years. I have experienced the NHS at its best (2008) and at its worst (2022).
When I do my “emergency shot” ward rounds, I see patients in chairs, in hallways, in the back of ambulances. There is little privacy and dignity is affected. We all do the best we can, but it’s a poor environment. This has gotten much worse in the last five years.
Many people are leaving the NHS to do agency or surrogate work. Once this happens, we are at a tipping point.
Those of us who remain are working in positions with constant absences of colleagues. Therefore, we must work extra hard, often covering additional shifts at short notice. Because we have to. There is moral pressure to cover guard gaps because the service cannot be allowed to crash.
We are all so tired.
Dr. Peter Neville, Consultant Gastroenterologist
