Pressure mounting on NHS services

Health leaders in the region are warning that NHS staff are facing increasing incidents of abuse from the public as the healthcare system braces itself for the very busy winter period.

Hospital, ambulance, GPs and other primary care staff should not be the target of verbal abuse or attacks, especially at a time when they are working harder than ever to cope with the ongoing pandemic and subsequent rise in demand for healthcare services.

Frontline staff across the region have been describing a growing volume of verbal abuse being faced at work when they are simply trying to do their job and care for others. This is particularly worrying at a time when demand is growing and staff have already worked tirelessly over the past 18 months on Covid19 and the vaccination programme. 

Last year South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust reported a 10% increase in the total number of incidents faced by staff. These have involved assaults on staff, verbal or racial abuse as well as sexual incidents, which covers innuendos, physical and verbal acts.

The North East Ambulance Service recently highlighted a rise in attacks on its staff and these type of incidents are having a demoralising impact on the workforce. 
Hospitals, GPs and paramedics across the North East and North Cumbria are also managing another surge of pressure on vital services with many of the region’s hospitals seeing record daily numbers for A&E attendance, a huge increase in paediatric cases and ongoing Covid19 patients requiring care.

Staffing and services are increasingly stretched after more than a year of managing the pandemic and vaccination roll out. 

As well as this NHS teams – across hospitals and GP practices – still face challenges such as reduced space in clinical treatment areas and surgeries because of the need to follow strict infection control measures to ensure patients and staff continue to be safe.

To help cope with these pressures and ensure the people who need care the most can get it the NHS is asking people to:

• Think GP, NHS 111 online or pharmacy first before calling 111.
• Only contact 999 or attend an A&E / Emergency Department for serious or life-threatening problems
• Get your flu vaccinations or covid booster as soon as you can once you are eligible.
• Understand that you may need to wait longer than usual.
• If you are visiting any healthcare settings, please remember to continue wearing a face covering, use our handwashing and alcohol gel facilities.
• Be kind – all our staff are doing their best to look after you, please be patient.

Dr Shaz Wahid, Executive Medical Director of South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, said: "When our staff face violence and aggression from the people we are here to help it has a serious impact on their wellbeing and mental health.

"NHS staff have worked tirelessly during the pandemic to keep services running and offer patients care and they deserve to be treated with respect.

"They dedicate themselves to looking after and protecting others and they should be able to come to work without facing the fear of abuse of any kind.

"We want to make it absolutely clear once again that we will not stand physical, verbal or racist abuse. We encourage our staff to report any incidents and wherever possible, ensure those responsible are prosecuted."

Speaking on behalf of the NHS in the region Dr Neil Halford, interim medical director for the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care System said:

“While we appreciate that some people may be frustrated there is no excuse for abusing our staff and this should not and will not be tolerated.

“Every part of the healthcare system is currently under huge pressure so please be patient and think carefully about the right NHS service for your needs. We’re seeing increasing numbers of people right across the system and our staff are doing their very best to make sure everyone can get the care they require as quickly as possible.

“We’re asking people to please only use services such as A&E or 999 for serious or life-threatening issues and use other options for less pressing healthcare needs.”

GPs across the region are also seeing huge pressures. Reception staff are trained to help prioritise patients to ensure those most in need are seen most urgently, and are a valued part of the GP team, but as the first point of contact are increasingly subjected to abuse.

Primary care is also working on the rollout of the covid booster programme and the flu programme, both vital in keeping people protected this winter. 

Dr Neil O’Brien, a Durham GP and chair of the ICS vaccination board explained:
“This is an increasingly tough time for everyone and we appreciate how difficult it can feel for the public at the moment. However, we know that lots of people are still trying to make GP appointments for very minor ailments instead of using self-care or seeing pharmacists.

“In primary care we do need to triage patients so that we can see those most in need so we’d ask that people think about some of the newer ways of getting advice like NHS 111 online or local pharmacies.”