The British Red Cross has deployed staff to help hospitals cope with a “humanitarian crisis” facing the NHS.
The charity has said it has sent staff to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, which is currently on black alert, to arrange transport for discharged patients and ensure those patients are settled back into their homes.
Mike Adamson, chief executive of the British Red Cross, said the charity has seen patients sent home without clothes, while others have suffered falls and not been found for days due to inappropriate care.
The British Red Cross has deployed staff to help hospitals cope with a “humanitarian crisis” facing the NHS.
The charity has said it has sent staff to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, which is currently on black alert, to arrange transport for discharged patients and ensure those patients are settled back into their homes.
Mike Adamson, chief executive of the British Red Cross, said the charity has seen patients sent home without clothes, while others have suffered falls and not been found for days due to inappropriate care.
The charity has also supported the East Midlands Ambulance Service and is currently in talks with other hospitals about how the Red Cross can help during the busy winter season.
Adamson has called on the Government “to allocate immediate funding to stabilise the current system and set out plans towards creating a sustainable funding settlement for the future”.
He said: “The British Red Cross is on the front line, responding to the humanitarian crisis in our hospital and ambulance services across the country.
“We have been called in to support the NHS and help get people home from hospital and free up much needed beds.”
The Nuffield Trust announced today that 50 Trusts have notified NHS England that they are under severe pressure that is restricting patient flow and in some cases leaving hospitals unable to provide patient care.
