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Local authorities in Essex have declared a “major incident” as the number of coronavirus cases threatens to overwhelm health services in the county.
The announcement was made in response to “significant growing demand” at hospitals across the county and will allow local leaders to seek more support from the government, the Essex Resilience Forum (ERF) said.
The ERF, which is made up of members of the NHS, emergency services and local authorities, said the number of patients in Essex receiving treatment for coronavirus has now risen to levels exceeding those seen at the peak of the first wave.
He added that those numbers were expected to rise further in the coming days and that cases were particularly high in Mid and South Essex.
Areas of concern included intensive care and bed capacity, staff sickness, and the ability to quickly discharge patients to safe settings.
Anthony McKeever, Executive Director of the Mid and South Essex Health and Care Partnership, said: “We are taking every possible action within the NHS and in the broader health and social care partnerships in Essex to limit the impact on the NHS and the system. general health.
“This means leveraging intensive care capacity in other parts of Essex and the eastern region and identifying additional locations and capacity to assist with discharge of patients and reduce pressure on hospitals.
“Our strong working relationships mean that we can respond effectively to support our local communities.
“I would also like to pay tribute to all those hardworking colleagues who are working tirelessly to support our communities across the system.
“Everyone is doing an incredible job in extremely difficult circumstances.”
Essex Police Chief Constable and Co-Chair of the Essex Local Resilience Forum, BJ Harrington, said: “Reporting a major incident allows us to seek further support from the government to address the severe pressures facing the healthcare system. due to Covid -19.
“The people of Essex have been terrific and are just calling 999 or going to the ER for emergencies; we need this to continue because this will help protect the very limited capacity available in our hospitals. “
