Nurses leave packed A&E units to treat patients in ambulances

Worst NHS winter crisis since the 1990s leads to drastic measures for staff struggling to cope

Hospitals have become so overwhelmed by the number of patients needing care that nurses have been leaving their A&E unit in order to treat patients stuck in the back of ambulances outside.

Nurses have begun using the highly unusual practice – branded “shocking” by their own union – in a bid to ensure that patients’ health is not suffering in the face of the NHS winter crisis.

Related: Theresa May changes tack to apologise for postponed operations

We will be monitoring the situation in hospitals over the next few months and want to hear your experiences of the NHS this winter. We are keen to hear from healthcare professionals as well as patients about the situation. Have operations been cancelled? Has pressure led to certain wards being closed? How are staff coping? Help us document what is going on across the UK.

Related: Q&A: Why is the NHS under so much pressure this winter?

Continue reading... January 05, 2018 at 01:30PM