UK chief medical officers’ letter “articulates fears of the frontline” – SAM past president

Following a letter issued to healthcare professionals from the UK’s four chief medical officers outlining their concerns about social mixing at Christmas, Dr Nick Scriven, immediate past president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said:

“I feel this letter articulates the fears of many working on the frontline about the coming months and the impact of the relaxing of restrictions together with the public‘s response to that easing.

“We are now entering the true winter in the NHS and are seeing emergency departments filling up rapidly with queues developing as hospitals struggle to free up “covid safe” space with staff to care. There also seems to be a coded response contained in the letter to the political decisions made around this Christmas.

“Not only will NHS staff be stretched and stressed by the expected clinical work but also now have to satisfy the expectations put on them to deliver the first vaccinations to those who need it despite the immense logistical issues.”