tv BBC News BBC News January 8, 2025 9:30am-10:01am GMT
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welcome to viewers on bbc news. welcome to viewers on bbc news. we are discussing accident and emergency and when we do discuss the nhs we get some amazing insights. loads of problems, about a dozen hospitals have declared major incidents. patients have been warned of two day waits in a&e at nine hospitals. the royal liverpool university hospital advises patients they could face a 50—hour wait. when we were on the radio, it was pointed out that one patient at that hospital waited 91 hours. the secretary of state for health, wes streeting hatz said that he is ashamed of the situation. he saw it on the ground the other day in a
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hospital and he said it is going to be a while before this is fixed. it is a bit of a familiar fixture, is fixed. it is a bit of a familiarfixture, but is fixed. it is a bit of a familiar fixture, but there is fixed. it is a bit of a familiarfixture, but there is a lot of factors coming into play. there is the quad demic, don't get covid or the flu or rsv. don't fall over with the icy conditions. the floods. there is a lot happening here. get on the phone and tell me about a&e at the moment. i would love to hear from about a&e at the moment. i would love to hearfrom people working in a&e, the heroic paramedics and nurses, the dedicated doctors who are running around like headless chickens. this is about your experiences on tv and radio for the next 25 minutes or so s paul in norwich, simon in tunbridge wells. come to me. morning, paul, tell me about your experience.— morning, paul, tell me about your experience. hello there, es. i
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your experience. hello there, yes- i wanted _ your experience. hello there, yes. i wanted to _ your experience. hello there, yes. i wanted to say - your experience. hello there, yes. i wanted to say i - your experience. hello there, yes. i wanted to say i had - your experience. hello there, yes. i wanted to say i had a l yes. i wanted to say i had a positive experience, although it could have been negative. this is on new year's eve. i had a heart problem. i immediately rang my, came up on my watch, so i rang on my surgery and they said, well, to come down. i got into my surgery. they gave me an ecg and i saw immediately a gp, who said i'm sorry, i know you have as, where your heart goes out of rhythm. he rang the hospital. the head cardiologist there and the cardiologist said you can't send, don't send anybody to a&e. we are chock ca block. he said that you would go into hospital and have this electric shock treatment and would be done quickly. they can give you this treatment been
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a8—hours, otherwise it doesn't work. they can't do it. he said, i'm sorry, i can't send you to a&e. i said, well, what are my choices. they said if you go to cambridge, i'm in norwich, orto you go to cambridge, i'm in norwich, or to london. you go to cambridge, i'm in norwich, orto london. i you go to cambridge, i'm in norwich, or to london. i said, so i said gie give me a letter and i will go to a&e and see what can be done. i went into a&e and this is when apparently a letter had been sent out, and i was with the doctor when the letter was sent out and he received it, saying from the eastern authority, to say, don't send patients to a&e. anyway, i went to a&e and within 45 minutes, there were a lot of ambulances there, i got into a bay and they were
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treated me for this as. giving me the electric shock. i have to say that the staff and everybody there, it was completely calm. everybody knew what they were doing. it was a difficult situation with lots of people there. but i have to say my experience over all, you know, was fantastic. but i did have to go to a&e myself. otherwise the doctors were saying don't go. i would have had to have more treatment down the line, different types of treatment, which would have been more, well, not as good for me. , , ., ., for me. this is good to hear and i and — for me. this is good to hear and i and you _ for me. this is good to hear and i and you and _ for me. this is good to hear and i and you and so - for me. this is good to hear and i and you and so many. and i and you and so many others absolutely doff our caps to the people working there, under such pressure. it is astonishing. but it is such pressure at the moment. simon, you have experience of this? we
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want experiences, we want good experiences, that is wonderful to hear about we want to know about your experiences. good morning. about your experiences. good morninu. . ~ about your experiences. good morninu. ., ~ about your experiences. good morninu. . ~ ., about your experiences. good morninu. . ~' ., ., morning. thank you for having me on. morning. thank you for having me on- last — morning. thank you for having me on. last year, _ morning. thank you for having me on. last year, i _ morning. thank you for having me on. last year, i had - morning. thank you for having me on. last year, i had two i me on. last year, i had two experiences of a&e in two different hospitals. this is year's new year's resolution is not to go to hospital. the experience of both were different, but they were insightful. the most recent one for having my appendix removed before christmas. i'm now at one point in a&e there were more than a hundred people waiting to be seen. i hate to think what the longest waiting time would have been during that. i also know once i got from a&e to the surgical assessment unit, that they were also inundate. we hear about
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a&e staff being under pressure and i have to say that the staff were magnificent from reception to health care nurses to doctors. 50 reception to health care nurses to doctore— to doctors. so calm under such pressure? _ to doctors. so calm under such pressure? if— to doctors. so calm under such pressure? if you _ to doctors. so calm under such pressure? if you want - to doctors. so calm under such pressure? if you want an - pressure? if you want an example — pressure? if you want an example of _ pressure? if you want an example of what - pressure? if you want an example of what it - pressure? if you want an example of what it is - pressure? if you want an example of what it is to l pressure? if you want an - example of what it is to work effectively and well under pressure, thenjust, you know don't go to a&e, but you know what i mean? observe how they are. but you know, even the department is full with the peppe" department is full with the pepper we see. we know there is —— person we see. there is pressure, but we deal with them. when a&es are under pressure, then so is every other department. so the system is under strain other department. so the system is understrain in other department. so the system is under strain in that sense. the first experience of the year was back in, i went to a&e at the end of 2023, a few days
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before the end. i know what people are saying about don't engage in risky behaviour, mine was taking the bin bag out to the bin! ifelland it was taking the bin bag out to the bin! ifell and it turned out i had raptured a quad tendon. when i went to a&e the issue was that they were looking at the pain and they were thinking that it was possibly a fractured femur and they did the x ray and there was no fracture. they said there maybe a small problem and i was referred to the fracture chinic and it was then that the diagnosis was made. i know that a&e departments are not populated by specialists. and that sometimes it is a junior doctor. but i wonderer whether there could be something in more specialist centres. there are some cardiac and stroke ones, whether there are
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fracture ones that would take some of the pressure off a&e? i don't know. i some of the pressure off me? i don't know— don't know. i have a man who miaht don't know. i have a man who might know _ don't know. i have a man who might know. tom _ don't know. i have a man who might know. tom is _ don't know. i have a man who might know. tom is there. i don't know. i have a man who i might know. tom is there. tom, associate professor of para medicine at the university of cumbria. how are you doing? good morning, well thank you. how do we take the pressure off? ~ , . off? well, it is tricky. i think a _ off? well, it is tricky. i think a number- off? well, it is tricky. i think a number of- off? well, it is tricky. i. think a number of people off? well, it is tricky. i- think a number of people have mentioned it, it is like a conveyor belt. anything impacts back into the hospital service and into a&e departments and back into the ambulance service. at any single point you can change the capacity. but some of the challenges are not being able to discharge patients out of hospitals. answered a&e is the epicentre of chaos. it answered a&e is the epicentre of chaos. , ., ., , ., of chaos. it is the doors into the hospital, _ of chaos. it is the doors into the hospital, the _ of chaos. it is the doors into the hospital, the entrance i of chaos. it is the doors into l the hospital, the entrance and everything has an impact there i gets blocked up.—
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i gets blocked up. what about secialist i gets blocked up. what about specialist centres _ i gets blocked up. what about specialist centres as - i gets blocked up. what about| specialist centres as suggested by our previous caller there? yes, i mean the issue with the current crisis is around flu and that challenge has increased the peak and we are increased the peak and we are in the winter and there is increased demand. that might help some areas. we have specialist areas for heart attacks and strokes. the ambulance service and hospitals try and divert people. but we have had a big increase of flu on top of winter pressure. this is a unique situation in winter. is a unique situation in winter-— is a unique situation in winter. �* , my winter. are we 'ust unlucky with so many i winter. are we just unlucky with so many factors i winter. are we just unlucky with so many factors at i winter. are we just unlucky with so many factors at the moment?— with so many factors at the moment? , ., . ., moment? there is a reduction in the uptake _
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moment? there is a reduction in the uptake of— moment? there is a reduction in the uptake of vaccinations i moment? there is a reduction in the uptake of vaccinations in i the uptake of vaccinations in flu. that reduces the risk of serious conditions if you have a vaccination. so, that has impacted it on top of winter pressures as well. we impacted it on top of winter pressures as well.— impacted it on top of winter pressures as well. we have got lorraine in _ pressures as well. we have got lorraine in birmingham, i pressures as well. we have got lorraine in birmingham, who . pressures as well. we have got lorraine in birmingham, who is a nurse. this is what we want to hear. lorraine, not real name, can't thank you enough. what was it like last night? it was really bad. and the waiting time was over i think 14 hours. it isjust horrendous. time was over i think 14 hours. it is just horrendous. you go outside, there is loads of ambulances, there isjust, oh, it is so hectic and i don't know. ijust think it is so hectic and i don't know. i just think a lot of patients actually shouldn't be in a&e, because they should be actually at their doctors. because you can't see doctors they all come to a&e. there is not enough staff. oh it is just...
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not enough staff. oh it is 'ust... not enough staff. oh it is just. . ._ yeah. l not enough staff. oh it is| just..._ yeah. it not enough staff. oh it is i just..._ yeah. it is just... mayhem? yeah. it is 'ust just... mayhem? yeah. it is just mayhem _ just... mayhem? yeah. it is just mayhem basically. i just... mayhem? yeah. it is just mayhem basically. you| just... mayhem? yeah. it is. just mayhem basically. you are working, you're not getting your break. there is people are waiting for beds, there is like 50 patients waiting and they keep coming say, where is the bed? what do you say to them? then they're aggressive. find then they're aggressive. and abusive? _ then they're aggressive. and abusive? and _ then they're aggressive. and abusive? and they're - then they're aggressive. and abusive? and they're very i abusive? and they're very abusive- _ abusive? and they're very abusive. we _ abusive? and they're very abusive. we have - abusive? and they're very| abusive. we have patients trying to hit us. we have patients throwing jugs of water. we have to get security in, the police in. it is really terrible. i mean, ialways watch the news, and i see the government coming out, we are going to do this for the nhs, i think keir starmer needs to come on the an a&e
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