Regional Hospitals Issue Urgent Warning Over Patient Safety

Hospitals across the region have issued a stark warning, declaring they are “unable to deliver comprehensive care” and that “patient safety is at risk.”

The alert follows a sustained surge in demand that has left emergency departments overcrowded, critical staffing gaps unfilled, and essential supplies running low. Senior clinicians report that patients are waiting hours on trolleys, operations are being cancelled on the day of surgery, and community services are too stretched to accept early discharges.

“We have reached a breaking point,” said Dr. Aisha Khan, medical director for the regional health network. “Our staff are doing everything humanly possible, but we are now making daily decisions about which emergencies we can handle safely and which we cannot.”

The warning comes just days after the release of internal data showing that the region’s ambulance hand-over delays now average 90 minutes, more than triple the national target, and that 1 in 5 nursing posts are vacant.

Health-service leaders are calling for immediate government intervention, including emergency funding to open moth-balled wards, rapid recruitment of overseas staff, and a temporary reduction in non-urgent procedures to free up capacity.

Patients have been urged to use services wisely: “If it is not life-threatening, please consider your GP, pharmacist or 111 first,” said Khan. “Every unnecessary attendance right now diverts care from someone whose life may depend on it.”

Regional officials warn that without urgent action, safety incidents “are no longer a risk but an inevitability.”

---

Source: Read original article