This was the scene outside one Greater Manchester Emergency department this week - as paramedics report delays comparable to the 'Covid peak'.
Staff on the ground for the North West Ambulance Service, which has been on an 'extreme pressure' alert for more than five weeks, have said they are starting to see coronavirus cases again, although in much more moderate numbers, as well as continuing high levels of respiratory problems in children and a sharp spike in mental health cases in patients who are ‘not being dealt with by the system’.
That 'system', as has been widely reported, is under unprecedented strain due to a combination of factors, both historic and born of the Covid crisis.
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