A third of doctors say NHS is not ready for the winter
The NHS is bracing itself for what could be a difficult winter due to the combination of Covid-19 and seasonal flu.
Around one in three doctors do not believe that their NHS organisation is ready for the challenges of winter.
In a new survey medics say they feel unprepared to deal with the upcoming pressures this winter will bring, as they tackle a combination of flu and coronavirus.
The poll for the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) found that 36% of doctors said their organisation was not at all prepared for winter, and that many medics are suffering exhaustion and feeling demoralised.
More than 800 doctors were polled for the study, with 37% of staff saying that they are demoralised and 33% felt pessimistic.
A report in the summer from the Academy of Medical Sciences found that flu deaths could reach 60,000, more than double than a normal year.
This is in addition to fears of coronavirus transmission and increased hospital admissions and deaths from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
This all comes as the Government launches its biggest flu programme in the NHS's history, offering more than 35 million people in England eligible for a free vaccine all while introducing Covid booster jabs to around 28 million eligible people.
Morale "at an all-time low"
In the comments of the new RCP poll, one medic said that "morale in the workforce is at an all-time low", while another said: "Can't see an end to it."
Another respondent said: "Winter is coming - uncertain times. If not prepared it can go pear-shaped and end up in a bad way. Our region is already feeling the pinch of increased numbers at the front end and struggling with social care.
"We remain optimistic and proud to be a part of NHS in fighting past, present and future waves of pressures and keep patients safe as much as humanly possible. I only hope Government recognises and reinforces our workforce and supports us."
What needs to be done?
The RCP said it wants more to be done immediately to improve the conditions under which doctors and other clinicians are working.
In a new article, three Royal College of Physicians officers said there is a growing desire for flexible working and argue that the key to improving morale is giving back doctors some control over their working lives.
Andrew Goddard, president of the RCP, said: "There are no two ways about it - it's an incredibly difficult time to be working in medicine.
"Some things, such as embracing flexible working, will help to improve morale now, while increasing the size of the workforce will ensure that in future, staff never feel as under pressure and undervalued as they do today.
"We need a commitment from Government to produce regular, independent and published assessments of future workforce requirements across the NHS and social care.
"This will give us much-needed long-term projections of workforce needs so that enough staff are being trained up to meet those requirements."
All about the NHS
The NHS was founded on 5 July 1948
As of March 2021, there are a total of 124,078 doctors and 304,542 nurses working in the NHS, with 1,197,747 hospital and community health staff overall.
There are 223 NHS trusts in the UK