This story was first published in digitalhealth.net
Pressure on NHS staff may get worse, says RCP
The Royal College of Physicians has issued a warning that pressure on NHS staff may get worse before it gets better as the impact of coronavirus continues to be felt.
The RCP says that the very real possibility of a second peak, coupled with the pressures of a normal winter flu season, risks bringing the NHS to a grinding halt.
Therefore, the organisation is calling for urgent plans to be put in place to mitigate this, including: bringing forward the normal NHS and social care workforce flu vaccination programmes with an aim for 100 per cent uptake; urgently reviewing the potential benefit of providing the flu vaccine to everyone in the clinically extremely vulnerable grouping; securing additional batches of the flu vaccine to maximise availability; offering the vaccine to everyone over the age of 50, if enough vaccine is available; rolling out dedicated flu vaccination programmes in institutional settings like prisons; and ensuring that if a coronavirus vaccination becomes available at the same time as the annual flu vaccine, the two vaccination programmes work together to reach as many people as possible.
The RCP has set out several priorities to help prepare the NHS for future waves of coronavirus, including the need to ensure the NHS estate is fully able to cope. It also wants a ‘reservist’ clinical workforce to be put on standby for situations in which the NHS and social care workforce is overwhelmed, which would include those who have recently retired, those taking a career break, clinical academics, and those who work outside of the NHS.
Andrew Goddard, President of the Royal College of Physicians, said: “With lockdown further loosening this weekend for many, there is no time to waste in ensuring that the NHS and social care are prepared for the very real potential of future Covid-19 waves. It is crucial that we learn the lessons from the last three months, as well as considering the additional challenges that future waves may bring if they coincide with winter flu.
“Staff across the NHS are nervous about what lies ahead and we owe it to them to do everything we can to ensure that the system is ready to cope. It goes without saying that no clinician should ever be put in the situation again where they don’t have the PPE they need.”
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