Two major incidents have been declared in England because of pressures caused by the spread of COVID-19 – after the Ministry of Defence said Armed Forces personnel would be deployed in London to help in hospitals.
Some 200 Armed Forces personnel are being sent to support the NHS in London as hospitals grapple with staff shortages.
Military medics will assist NHS doctors and nurses with patient care, while general duty personnel will help fill gaps caused by other absences.
And now two major incidents have been declared in England with emergency services saying there is a civil emergency in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.
Multiple agencies including the NHS, Fire and Rescue Service, police and local authorities will step up co-ordination of their response to the surging infections and key workers needing to isolate.
Northamptonshire has also declared a system-wide major incident, with hospitals, care homes and emergency services subject to a shortage of staff and facing increased demand because of coronavirus, Northamptonshire Police said.
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The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has said the deployment means the government can no longer deny there is a “staffing crisis” within the NHS.
Patricia Marquis, the RCN’s director for England, said: “The prime minister and others can no longer be dismissive of questions about the ability of NHS staff to deliver safe care.
British troops have played an important role in helping the UK deal with the coronavirus pandemic. File pic
“Once the military has been brought in, where does the government turn next in a bid to ‘ride out’ the wave rather than deal with…
Source : skynews
