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Ambulances with Covid-19 patients have been seen queuing outside hospitals in England as the Health Secretary prepares to announce tighter restrictions amid a surge in cases.
Images on social media appeared to show emergency vehicles lined up in front of the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel and the Queen’s Hospital in Romford, both in East London, on Tuesday, when NHS Providers Deputy Executive Director Saffron Cordery warned that pressure on the NHS was “increasing at an unsustainable rate.”
Paramedics College spokesman Martin Berry said first responders were under unprecedented pressure.
“The demand on the system and the people within that system is at a level that we have never had to face before,” he told the BBC. “It is absolutely heartbreaking.”
A statement issued by the Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the Queen’s Hospital, urged people to only contact ambulance services in case of real emergencies.
“Along with the rest of the NHS, we are under considerable pressure as we care for a growing number of Covid-19 patients, some of whom are being safely cared for in ambulances before entering Queen’s Hospital,” he said.
“You can help us by calling NHS 111 if you need medical advice and going to our emergency departments only in a real emergency.”
The number of coronavirus patients reached its highest levels during the pandemic, with 51,135 more cases and 414 deaths reported Tuesday.
These ambulances are lining up outside Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham tonight. There is a sick patient within each of them. They can’t even get into the building.
This is the reality of Covid, right here, right now. Hospitals at breaking point. (H / T @drpunith) pic.twitter.com/YlKLH8GBUW
– Rachel Clarke (@doctor_oxford) December 29, 2020
The Barts Health NHS Trust, which is responsible for the Royal London Hospital, said in a statement that it had opened an additional coronavirus ward on Sunday.
“We are treating large numbers of Covid-19 patients in our hospitals, and in accordance with our winter escalation plan, we have moved into a ‘very high pressure’ phase and take steps to keep our patients safe,” he added in his statement Tuesday.
Ambulances were also shown lining up in front of Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.
Palliative care doctor Rachel Clarke tweeted a photo, taken by registrar Punith Kempegowda, with the caption indicating that there was a “sick patient inside each” of the vehicles.
“This is the reality of Covid, right here, right now. Hospitals are at a critical point, ”said Dr. Clarke.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock is expected to tell the Commons on Wednesday that more areas in England will be under the country’s most severe coronavirus restrictions.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson chaired a meeting of the government’s Covid-19 operations committee on Tuesday night, when the changes to the tier system were discussed.
Areas that may move from Level 3 to Level 4 due to increased case rates include parts of the East Midlands, such as Northamptonshire and Leicestershire, as well as all areas of the West Midlands metropolitan county.
Hartlepool in the northeast of England, along with a handful of areas in Lancashire (Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley, Pendle, and Ribble Valley) could also be upgraded from Level 3 to 4.
The Times reported that ministers are also considering imposing the country’s toughest measures in parts of the Southwest and Cumbria.
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