The situation is widely expected to worsen in the coming days to weeks.
“Essential bedside care” could be provided by students, therapists, and volunteers rather than nursing staff if hospital staffing levels do not improve.
According to a report by The Times, NHS England says that “essential bedside care” could be provided by “students, therapists and care assistants” alongside “volunteers with a health background” and even “St John Ambulance staff and former NHS staff” if hospitals continue to struggle with nurses being absent from work due to the virus.
Reportedly a more than 110,000 NHS staff were absent from work during the week ending December 31. This figure has jumped from 24,632 on December 26, which was nearly double the number that was absent just two weeks before due to Covid-related reasons.
The situation is widely expected to worsen in the coming days to weeks.
It is not clear what NHS England classifies as “essential bedside care” but senior nurses have taken to social media to complain that the plans show a clear misunderstanding over the role of nurses in providing skilled medical care.
A healthcare emergency.
The NHS Confederation has dubbed the issue a “perfect storm” of rising hospital admissions and increasing numbers of frontline workers being off sick.
The news comes within days of new “Nightingale hubs” designed to deal with a surge in demand for hospital care have been announced.
Questions have now also been raised on how these new hubs will be staffed if the health service is already struggling.
Responding to NHS England staff absence data earlier this week, RCN Director for England, Patricia Marquis, said: “These figures are further evidence of the existing NHS staffing challenges, before any new facilities are opened. More beds and fewer staff must not result in patient care becoming less safe.
“Ministers cannot keep the emergency NHS staffing plans under wraps any longer. Our members need to know what could realistically be expected of them in the comings days and weeks.
“Sajid Javid and NHS leaders can do more to protect nursing staff where they work, especially those caring for suspected or known patients with COVID-19. The highest grade of PPE must be available – we cannot have a postcode lottery in staff safety.”
