Elective surgeries could be cancelled as Greater Manchester NHS braces for severe winter, warns health chief
Cancellations to surgeries cannot be ruled out as the NHS enters an extremely challenging winter, says a Greater Manchester health chief. The warning comes as patients are urged to choose the right place for their illness or injury because A&E waiting rooms and hospital beds are under crippling demand.
For months, A&Es across the region have seen colossal numbers of patients, far outstripping staffing levels, the Manchester Evening News has been told by multiple sources in the NHS. Ambulances have been left queuing up outside emergency departments because of a sheer lack of beds inside for their patients, instead having to keep them waiting in the back of vans prompting fears for their safety.
“If Covid and flu rise for us, we won’t have any choice but to, perhaps, pull back on some of the elective surgeries because we need ICU beds for serious operations, we need hospital beds. That’s why keeping well is really important so we don’t have to pause anything, because that doesn’t help anybody.
Greater Manchester’s NHS today launched a major drive to make sure people know where to get their treatment this winter. The campaign follows complaints from hospital emergency departments last month that patients have been turning up to A&E expecting to be treated for chapped lips and verrucas .“We know that if people use the right service, they get the right treatment for them at a time that works for them - and sooner,” the GP added.
“We’re urging the public to choose the right service, use NHS 111 to guide you if you’re not sure. Make sure you take up your flu and your Covid jabs if you’re eligible.”
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Alterations of the fecal microbiota in relation to acute COVID-19 infection and recovery - Molecular BiomedicinePeople with acute COVID-19 due to SARS-CoV-2 infection experience a range of symptoms, but major factors contributing to severe clinical outcomes remain to be understood. Emerging evidence suggests associations between the gut microbiome and the severity and progression of COVID-19. To better understand the host-microbiota interactions in acute COVID-19, we characterized the intestinal microbiome of patients with active SARS-CoV-2 infection in comparison to recovered patients and uninfected healthy controls. We performed 16S rRNA sequencing of stool samples collected between May 2020 and January 2021 from 20 COVID-19-positive patients, 20 COVID-19-recovered subjects and 20 healthy controls. COVID-19-positive patients had altered microbiome community characteristics compared to the recovered and control subjects, as assessed by both α- and β-diversity differences. In COVID-19-positive patients, we observed depletion of Bacteroidaceae, Ruminococcaceae, and Lachnospiraceae, as well as decreased relative abundances of the genera Faecalibacterium, Adlercreutzia, and the Eubacterium brachy group. The enrichment of Prevotellaceae with COVID-19 infection continued after viral clearance; antibiotic use induced further gut microbiota perturbations in COVID-19-positive patients. In conclusion, we present evidence that acute COVID-19 induces gut microbiota dysbiosis with depletion of particular populations of commensal bacteria, a phenomenon heightened by antibiotic exposure, but the general effects do not persist post-recovery.
Read more »
Prednisolone does not improve olfactory function after COVID-19: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial - BMC MedicineBackground Prednisolone has been suggested as a treatment for olfactory disorders after COVID-19, but evidence is scarce. Hence, we aimed to determine the efficacy of a short oral prednisolone treatment on patients with persistent olfactory disorders after COVID-19. Methods We performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single-centered trial in the Netherlands. Patients were included if they were | 18 years old and if they had persistent (| 4 weeks) olfactory disorders within 12 weeks after a confirmed COVID-19 test. The treatment group received oral prednisolone 40 mg once daily for 10 days and the placebo group received matching placebo. In addition, all patients performed olfactory training. The primary outcome was the objective olfactory function on Sniffin’ Sticks Test (SST) 12 weeks after the start of treatment, measured in Threshold-Discrimination-Identification (TDI) score. Secondary outcomes were objective gustatory function assessed by the Taste Strip Test (TST) and subjective self-reported outcomes on questionnaires about olfactory, gustatory and trigeminal function, quality of life, and nasal symptoms. The CONSORT 2010 guideline was performed. Results Between November 2021 and February 2022, we included 115 eligible patients, randomly assigned to the treatment (n = 58) or placebo group (n = 57). No difference in olfactory function between groups was obtained after 12 weeks. Median TDI score on SST was 26.8 (IQR 23.6–29.3) in the placebo group and 28.8 (IQR 24.0–30.9) in the prednisolone group, with a median difference of 2.0 (95% CI 0.75 to 1.5). There was similar improvement on olfactory function in both groups after 12 weeks. Furthermore, on secondary outcomes, we obtained no differences between groups. Conclusions This trial shows that prednisolone does not improve olfactory function after COVID-19. Therefore, we recommend not prescribing prednisolone for patients with persistent olfactory disorders after COVID-19. Trial registration Thi
Read more »
Rare protests in China as fatal fire collides with zero-COVID fatigueChina is the only major country still fighting COVID with lockdowns and mass testing but, after living with extreme restrictions for months, many citizens have had enough.
Read more »
China protests turn violent as zero-Covid anger spreads\n\t\t\tKeep abreast of significant corporate, financial and political developments around the world.\n\t\t\tStay informed and spot emerging risks and opportunities with independent global reporting, expert\n\t\t\tcommentary and analysis you can trust.\n\t\t
Read more »
Covid protests widen in China after Urumqi fireVideos on social media appear to show some protesters asking leader Xi Jinping to resign.
Read more »
Strictly bosses panic as Covid sweeps through crew after Kym's positive testSTRICTLY bosses have been dealt a major headache after a Covid outbreak among the show’s crew. Seven tested positive after star Kym Marsh went down with the virus following a cast and staff beano a…
Read more »