NHS leaders have written to every MP urging them to back a second lockdown for England and warning of staff burnout and cancelled operations.
In an unprecedented move, NHS Providers warned MPs that “urgent action” is needed as the country has “lost control” of coronavirus, creating a “clear and present danger” that the NHS will not be able to treat all patients appropriately.
And the organisation, which represents all 216 NHS hospital, ambulance, community, and mental health trusts in England, warned that a large rebellion in this afternoon’s House of Commons vote could undermine public compliance with new lockdown regulations, which are due to come into effect on Thursday and last until 2 December.
Despite widespread unease on Tory benches at the prospect of a four-week shutdown of pubs, restaurants and non-essential shops, the government is hopeful of keeping any rebellion down to around 20 MPs, allowing Boris Johnson to avoid having to rely on Labour votes to get his plan through the Commons.
In the open letter to MPs, NHS Providers chief executive Chris Hopson said that hospitals in some areas are already being forced to cutting back routine surgery because of a surge of Covid-19 patients which has already outstripped their worst-case planning scenarios.
Last week alone saw 2,800 new Covid patients admitted – the equivalent of five whole hospitals – and daily admissions are now higher than when the first lockdown began in March, said Mr Hopson.
“Looking forward, there is a clear and present danger that the NHS will not be able to treat all the patients it needs to in the best and most timely way,” he warned.
“Last week’s government projections, developed by Sage (the Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies), showed a big increase in potential Covid-19 hospitalisations.
“They suggested that all spare hospital beds would eventually be used up – quickly in some parts of the country – including full use of the backup Nightingale hospital capacity.
“Trust leaders yet to experience a full second Covid-19 surge are deeply worried that, on current trends, the surge their trusts will experience will coincide with the onset of winter when they are at their most stretched.
“Urgent action is needed.
“Trust leaders are clear that they cannot ask hardworking NHS staff, many of whom are already exhausted, to care for your constituents without doing everything they possibly can to support them. The logic is simple: too many Covid-19 patients will jeopardise the health service’s ability to provide the care to all patients who need it and give frontline NHS staff an impossible task this winter. No one wants that.”
Mr Hopson said that NHS staff were “in real danger of burning out” and trusts in the worst-hit areas are already seeing significant increases in sickness absence.
“However much we would have liked alternatives to work, trusts are clear that moving to a national lockdown is the only realistic option now available if the NHS is to look after patients in the way it needs to,” he said.
“Maximising public compliance and support for the new lockdown is vital if we are to ensure the NHS has the capacity it needs this winter. Trust leaders are worried that the larger the vote against the regulations, the more that public compliance and support will be at risk. We are therefore asking you to vote in favour of these regulations.”
