Government must reintroduce Covid rules to avoid 'brutal' Easter, NHS bosses warn

dailystar.co.uk:

coronavirus rules to prevent a "brutal" Easter as pressure mounts on the NHS, health leaders have warned. NHS bosses issued the stark warning as they pointed out that the service is facing the same pressure this spring as it would in the midst of a "bad winter."The government has been urged to review its Living with Covid plan as high rates of Covid-19 infections are having a "major impact" on the healthcare system.

The NHS Confederation fears the public could become confused by the government messaging and said it may “mislead and discourage them to take steps to reduce transmission, contributing to the very high rates of Covid -19", reports Manchester Evening News.

The membership body, which represents healthcare organisations, called for “mitigating actions” to help the NHS which is grappling with 20,000 Covid patients, high rates of staff absences, full hospitals and severe demands on emergency care.Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: “The brutal reality for staff and patients is that this Easter in the NHS is as bad as any winter.“But instead of the understanding and support NHS staff received during 2020 and 2021, we have a Government that seems to want to wash its hands of responsibility for what is occurring in plain sight in local services up and down the country."NHS leaders and their teams feel abandoned by the Government and they deserve better.”The organisation said that in the last week alone 20 emergency departments in England have been forced to turn patients away as they issued “diverts” due to being too full.The NHS Confederation called into question whether plans to tackle the record backlog of care are realistic.It called for stronger messages to the public on how to reduce.