Glasgow A&E doctors want major incident declared

Doctors successful Scotland's biggest exigency section urged NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to state a large incidental amid "grave concerns" implicit diligent safety, the BBC understands.

Staff moving successful A&E astatine the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital said the section continued to beryllium overwhelmed.

They asked the committee to telephone a large incidental connected Thursday truthful other resources could beryllium diverted to the department.

NHS GGC, which declined the move, said it was taking enactment to enactment staff.

The wellness committee asked the nationalist to beryllium alert that each services were nether utmost unit and lone to be A&E if it is urgent oregon beingness threatening.

A large incidental is declared erstwhile the the wellness of the assemblage is nether superior threat.

Special measures would beryllium enactment successful spot to assistance the request connected the wellness service, specified arsenic other resources to negociate the measurement of patients.

A bid of messages seen by the BBC amusement a petition from A&E consultants to state a large incidental was declined by NHS GGC connected Thursday.

The messages said each abstraction successful the exigency section was occupied by patients waiting for a furniture successful the hospital, with nary resuscitation beds and an eight-hour hold for ambulances offloading patients.

"We are present incapable to supply harmless captious care," work 1 of the messages.

Another read: "This is without immoderate uncertainty the worst displacement I've worked, and I've ne'er been much convinced of existent diligent harm owed to overcrowding and exit block."

Staff said a operation of issues meant critically-ill patients received "substandard attraction some clinically and from [a] humanitarian perspective".

The wellness committee was aboriginal asked to reconsider calling a large incident, which it again declined.

A spokesperson for NHS GGC said: "We person an escalation argumentation that would let america to state immoderate large incidents and we intimately show the information of our departments and patients astatine each times and support this nether adjacent review.

"Our services, similar the full of Scotland, are facing large pressures including important Covid, flu and norovirus cases and our unit are doing each they tin to conscionable this demand."

Scotland recorded its worst ever show times astatine A&E successful the week up to 18 December, with 55% of patients seen wrong the authorities people of 4 hours.

This is down 7.4% compared to the erstwhile week.

At the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, conscionable 45% of patients were seen wrong 4 hours.

A full 1,821 patients spent much than 12 hours successful exigency departments crossed Scotland.