Medics urge NI public: 'Help us get through this winter'
Joint plea from medical professionals as hospital capacity reaches 96%
The medical Royal Colleges have united to plead with the public to help the health service get through this difficult winter.
The appeal from the Royal Colleges of Surgeons, General Practitioners and Physicians came as the latest data from the Department of Health showed a hospital occupancy rate of 96%.
There were 413 Covid-19 positive patients in hospital, including 51 in intensive care beds, leaving just 15 ICU beds available.
Dr Laurence Dorman, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners NI, said a "very worrying picture'' is being faced in the healthcare system with winter yet to fully arrive.
"Our staff are exhausted and are working harder than ever to care for patients in the most difficult of environments,'' he said.
"We are all weary, but we plead with every single person in Northern Ireland to help so we can be there for you when you need us.
"Please follow public health advice on hand washing, wearing a face mask and maintaining social distancing and we, as health leaders across primary and secondary care, will recommit to serving you best through our surgeries and hospitals.''
NI director of the Royal College of Surgeons Mark Taylor said medics are "extremely concerned'' about the current situation.
"As the system continues to respond to the impact of Covid-19, it is becoming increasingly difficult to deliver time-dependent surgery, as staff and resources are redeployed,'' he said.
"We know that our waiting lists are totally unacceptable and the need for change has been articulated often.
"Patients are worried about when they will have their procedures.
"Unfortunately, tough decisions must be taken in dealing with Covid-19, unscheduled care and elective surgery, all at the same time. It is the same nursing and medical staff that are working round the clock to try and keep the balance.
"We all must do everything we can to drive down the rate of infection and keep hospitals functioning.
"We ask the public to help support our efforts by renewing their sense of determination to reduce the spread of the virus, give us breathing space to get through this second wave and allow other time-dependent procedures to continue.''
Dr Hamish Courtney, NI council member of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, said: "While all of us are tired of restrictions and regulations, the experience of witnessing a patient with Covid-19 in intensive care is a sobering reminder of the devastating potential of this condition.
"Restrictions and regulations remain one of our principal tools at present in tackling this virus.
"It is not for us to tell political leaders how to act and we do not envy the profoundly difficult decisions that face them, but we urge them to do all they can to support frontline healthcare workers and help us ensure that we are able to provide the services and the beds that our patients need.''