NHS ‘on the edge’ with some patients waiting 48 hours for a bed

NHS ‘on the edge’ with some patients waiting 48 hours for a bed The NHS is struggling to cope with growing demand for urgent and emergency care, health officials have warned, with hospitals under the kind of pressure “usually seen at the height of winter”.

A&E units across the UK are so crowded that 50% are being forced to hold sick patients outside or turn ambulances away every day, Britain’s top emergency doctor told the Guardian. The figure is the highest ever recorded; it was 27% in October 2020 and 17% in March this year.

See also: 

• QE Hospital Birmingham: Winter looms with staff 'hanging on by a thread' BBC News
• ‘Things are grim here’: doctor tells of dire situation in north-west England ICU The Guardian
• Gas crisis, Covid and food shortages: Tories fear perfect winter storm The Guardian