Frontline NHS staff in Nottingham urged people to stop showing up at A&E in the hopes of finding a Covid Test.
Emergency room staff of the Queen’s Medical Center in Nottingham posted a short video message on social media saying it was “not a testing center”.
This is because national bottlenecks have been reported in both lateral flow tests and PCRs in recent weeks.
A spokesperson for Nottingham The University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) said people were looking for PCR tests last week.
In a video message reposted on Monday, a spokesman said: “If you have to be in our emergency room, you will be tested for Covid.
“But please don’t come here just for testing.
“We are not a test center.”
The Queen’s Medical Center is part of the NHS Trust of Nottingham University Hospitals. Photo credit: PA
His comments are coming as the UK has a record number of new Covid-19 cases, while the number of patients in hospital in England with coronavirus reached its highest level since February.
A total of 15,044 people with Covid-19 were hospitalized at 8 a.m. on January 4, according to NHS England.
Meanwhile, health bosses in the Midlands are warning of the growing number of Covid Patient leads to increased disruption of the health system.
Dr. Caroline Trevithick, Executive Director of Nursing for Leicestershire and Rutlands Care Commissioning Group said some hospitals are having to cancel and postpone booked procedures.
“The impact is enormous … We have to cancel some of our booked procedures,” says Dr. Trevithick across from ITV Central
Trevithick told ITV News Central, “The impact on our hospitals right now is huge.
“We have to cancel some of our booked procedures.
“Unfortunately, some of these interventions are for people who are very ill without Covid and therefore have to postpone them because people with Covid are in hospital.”
In the past seven days, cases across the UK have risen sharply by more than 50%.
As of December 22, the UK has consistently reported daily case numbers in excess of 100,000.