Distressed patients stuck waiting for hours in ambulances queueing outside hospitals are being given Netflix to watch to help pass the time.
As the NHS continues to grapple with Covid-related staff absences, the prolonged delays of getting people treatment have forced paramedics to get innovative.
Tracy Nicholls, Britain’s paramedic leader, revealed that ambulance workers are now often in full-time ‘conflict resolution’ mode as some people wait seven hours to be seen.
The chief executive of the College of Paramedics told The Telegraph: ‘Paramedics are spending all their time apologising to everyone for their waits and distress.
‘If you’ve got a tricky or awkward relationship with the patient, you could be sitting with them for several hours in the back of a metal box and tensions can build.
‘But paramedics are innovative creatures. I’ve heard that some crews have streamed Netflix onto their trust iPads and strapped it to the stretcher so that those patients who are able can watch shows while they wait.’
Ms Nicholls also said some hubs had only four out of 10 vehicles operating due to the high number of paramedics off sick or self-isolating.
She added that doctors are increasingly being forced to treat patients in the car park outside the hospital.
The surge of Covid-19 cases has pushed the NHS almost to ‘breaking point’, with at least 24 out of 137 trusts now in a state of emergency.
With the winter wave fuelling hospitalisations and staff absences, there are reports of day-long waits for an ambulance in some parts of the country.
Health leaders have warned the NHS is ‘in a state of crisis’, with Boris Johnson urged to take further action.
Earlier this week, a leaked note from North East ambulance director Mathew Beattie to the Health Service Journal said emergency call handlers were using taxis to get people to hospital.
Staff should ‘consider asking the patient to be transported by friends or family’, it added.
This comes as hundreds of troops are being drafted into London hospitals to replace staff isolating with Omicron.
Patricia Marquis, director of the Royal College for Nursing in England, said the deployment means the prime minister can no longer deny there is a ‘staffing crisis’ within the NHS.
She said: ‘The prime minister and others can no longer be dismissive of questions about the ability of NHS staff to deliver safe care.
‘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 it?’
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