The president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Senior Gynaecologist Dr Edward Morris has said that the NHS could soon be unable to deliver “the care it needs to” for pregnant women amid rising Covid cases in the UK.
His warning comes as the NHS battles a backlog go 5.7million patients from the first and second wave of the Coronavirus pandemic.
As Rishi Sunak ruled out immediate implementation of the government’s plan B last Sunday, the latest data showed 39,962 people reported testing positive for Covid on Sunday with 328,287 testing positive in the last 7 days and 949 deaths during the same period.
The Guardian reported that senior doctors have already cancelled operations in some parts of the country. This surge in Covid cases has “derailed” the efforts of clearing NHS backlog, especially for women who need gynaecological treatments.
Morris added: “We know during the first wave of the pandemic, maternity staff were redeployed to different areas of the hospital, and we would urge NHS trusts and boards to avoid this at all costs.” Maternity staff could not be replaced by other staff groups “due to their specialist skillset”, he said, and protecting this workforce was “crucial to ensure that safe maternity care can be sustained”.
NHS consultant surgeon told Politics Home that many nurses were leaving the health service or suffering with low morale, leaving some operating theatres with not enough staff to keep up with surgical lists.
"Nursing staff, exhausted and working under the strain of tens of thousands of vacancies, will be angered to hear ministers say the pressures in the NHS are sustainable. All those working in hospitals, GP surgeries and the community know the reality," Vice-chair of the nursing union Royal College of Nurses Carol Popplestone said.
