NHS under intense pressure as winter demand surges in Suffolk
NHS bosses are urging everyone to get help from the appropriate places
Hospitals across Suffolk are facing sustained pressure this winter, with rising flu cases, an ageing population and growing demand across emergency, mental health and primary care services putting strain on the NHS as Christmas approaches.
Chief Executive of the East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, Nick Hulme s ays while long-term reform is often discussed, the immediate priority is improving how the health service operates now.
“This is just about doing what we currently do better,” he said. “If we were just better at what we currently did, and by better I mean better clinical outcomes, more efficiency, more productivity, less waste, would we need the big major reforms that we talk about long term?”
He said demographic changes are a major driver of demand, with more people living longer lives but often with complex health needs.
“We have a greater proportion of people who are elderly and who are therefore frail and who have longer lives but not necessarily healthier lives,” he said.
Despite that, he stressed the importance of protecting the founding principles of the NHS.
“Care free at point of delivery, absolutely sacrosanct. We need to maintain that with everything that we possibly can, but that comes with a consequence,” he said, pointing to “real pressure, particularly on our front door and in our mental health services and our primary care services”.
What the public can do to ease pressure
With the festive season upon us and the expectation of being busy, Hulme urged the public to take steps to protect themselves and reduce pressure on services, particularly by taking up flu vaccinations.
“If you’re eligible for a flu vaccine, please have one and please have one now, don’t wait,” he said.
He warned flu levels in Suffolk are already higher than expected for this time of year.
“If you’ve got an underlying condition and then get flu on top of that, you could get very poorly very quickly,” he said, adding that vaccination also helps protect families and the wider community.
Hulme said Christmas Day itself offers no respite for hospitals, describing full wards across Suffolk last year.
“Christmas Day is pretty much like any other day,” he said. “Both hospitals were full. I hadn’t seen that before.”
He expects the same pressures again this year, describing it as part of a long-term shift he has witnessed over decades in healthcare.
“That just shows the demand that we’re seeing in healthcare in terms of an ageing population and people with multiple conditions.”
While hospitals make efforts to mark the festive period, Hulme said Christmas can be a difficult and emotional time for patients and staff alike.
“If you’re in a hospital at Christmas, you need to be in hospital,” he said.
He added that decorations and festivities must be handled carefully, particularly for patients with dementia or cognitive impairment, and so they aim to be considerate and don't do much in terms of decorating.
However, Hulme did say that Santa often visits the paediatric ward.