Several NHS trusts have declared that “critical incidents,” such as staffing shortages and an increase in hospital admissions due to the rapid spread of Omicron, have pushed the NHS into “a state of crisis.”
Speaking on Tuesday, the chief executive of the NHS Confederation, Matthew Taylor, warned that the UK health service is struggling to cope with the pressure caused by the current wave of the pandemic.
“In many parts of the health service, we are currently in a state of crisis,” Taylor said, adding that hospitals are being forced to ask “exhausted staff to give up rest days” to meet demand.
Chris Hopson, the chief executive of NHS Providers, stated that “a number of trusts across the country have declared internal critical incidents over the last few days.” It is now reported that six NHS trusts have declared “critical incidents,” meaning they might not be able to provide priority care.