The president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine has warned hospitals were “wall to wall” with Covid-19 patients on Christmas Day.
Dr Katherine Henderson told BBC Breakfast: “We see patients who are coming in who have Covid symptoms and then we have other people coming in with other symptoms who turn out to be Covid positive.
“Between that, there’s a great deal of difficulty getting those patients through into the wards.”
Professor Jackie Taylor, President of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, said London and the south-east are now experiencing what Scotland went through in the autumn.
“Our busiest time in the second wave was in October and November, so the pressure that London and the South East is currently under we’ve already endured in October and November.
“We are still seeing significant amounts of patients with Covid and large amounts of standard respiratory infections and other emergency that we see at this time of year that mount up to a standard winter pressure.”
Hospitals in the south of England have seen a “real rise in pressure”, with paramedics in the capital receiving almost 8,000 call-outs daily.
In addition, Boxing Day was described as one of London Ambulance Service’s “busiest ever days”.
Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, told the BBC: “We’re seeing a real rise in the pressure for hospital services, but also other types of NHS services as well… ambulance trusts in particular are coming under extreme pressure, as are community and mental health services”.
Addressing London and the south, Ms Cordery added: “Part of the issue is many more people coming through the door with Covid, but also people coming through the door with other conditions as well.”
