#hospital-capacity

#hospital-capacity

All of last year, and long before, we have demanded action to ensure our hospital system is ready for when demand for Emergency Departments would spike. This did not happen, we found ourselves in a particularly busy winter and now the wheels have come off. Demand spikes in the colder months; it always does. It cannot, should not, be the case that we have to pray for a quiet January for fear the system won't cope. We should simply plan for a normal one.

If you find yourself in need of emergency care in Massachusetts, it could take a while. The Bay State ranks No. 3 in the U.S. for longest average time patients spend in the emergency department, according to World Population Review. Patients here spend an average of 189 minutes - more than three hours - in the ER before leaving the hospital. Only Maryland (228 minutes) and Delaware (195 minutes) report longer average delays.

There is much more to do. We've got to pick up the pace...but the NHS is on the road to recovery.

Rising demand for services has led an NHS trust serving Suffolk and Essex to declare a critical incident. East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust told the BBC it was facing "significant pressure", including hospitals in Ipswich and Colchester. Earlier this month, the NHS reported a rise in flu and other winter viruses after Christmas. The trust has encouraged people to seek help from pharmacists or use NHS 111 where appropriate.

There were 286 patients on trolleys in emergency departments yesterday

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

Level of virus now circulating is 'unprecedented', says CHI clinical director An unprecedented surge in flu cases has plunged Children's Health Ireland (CHI) into crisis mode, with record numbers of children requiring admission to hospital. The paediatric hospital group held two crisis meetings on Friday to create bed space for the influx of sick children, as doctors warn that the worst of the flu crisis is yet to come.