Re: UK: Britain gripped by worst flu outbreak since 2000

[Guest guest]

So, why don't the sick people stay home or get help during the day from their

regular docs???

Winnie

UK: Britain gripped by worst flu outbreak since 2000

undisclosed-recipients@...

>

>

> http://www.telegraph.co

> uk/health/healthnews/3867906/Britain-gripped-by-worst-flu-

> outbreak-since-2000

> html

>

> Britain gripped by worst flu outbreak since 2000

>

> Britain is in the grip of the worst flu outbreak for eight

> years, with

> emergency services fearing they will be " swamped " by calls when

> GP surgeries

> close for Christmas.

>

>

>

> By Donnelly, Health Correspondent

>

> Last Updated: 1:54PM GMT 20 Dec 2008

>

> This week’s official flu figures are expected to show a further

> surge in the

> number of people infected.

>

> With most GPs surgeries shut for four days over the Christmas period,

> experts said the remaining medical services would become

> stretched to

> breaking point by the weekend.

>

> Accident and Emergency doctors said the chaos in their

> departments was

> already reminiscent of scenes from the last big NHS winter

> crisis, at the

> turn of the millenium, when crematoriums were forced to work

> around the

> clock to cope with the 22,000 people who died.

>

> The latest figures show the number of flu infections running at

> 40 per 100

> 000 - the highest level at this point in the year since the

> winter of 2000-1

> when flu rates went on to reach epidemic proportions.

>

> Dozens of hospitals have closed wards or stopped admitting emergency

> patients as they battle with the rising number of admissions

> linked to flu

> and the vomiting bug norovirus. Record numbers of 999 calls have left

> emergency services struggling to cope, with ambulances queuing outside

> hospitals who are unable to take patients quickly enough.

>

> Heyworth, president of the College of Emergency Medicine,

> said Accident

> and Emergency departments and ambulance services were already

> overstretched,with patients facing long waits in ambulances and

> on trolleys.

>

> “The system simply does not have enough capacity to cope with

> the pressure

> it is under, and we expect this to keep getting worse over

> Christmas, and

> then over the next three to four weeks,” he said.

>

> The A & E consultant at Southampton General Hospital said:

> “Already we have

> got scenes where patients are waiting hours in A & E, or on

> trolleys in

> corridors because there are not enough beds to admit them.

> Outside the

> hospitals, ambulances are backed up, and can’t unload patients

> because the

> departments aren’t able to cope with them.

>

> “The ambulance service and A & E departments are already inundated with

> patients and we fear we will soon be swamped,” he added.

>

> Mr Heyworth described current pressures as “very reminiscent” of

> the crisis

> in the NHS over the millenium.

>

> “What is really frustrating about this, is that these pressures are

> predictable,” he said. “The reason the service struggles to cope

> is because

> bed numbers have been cut to a minimum”.

>

> After the 1999/2000 winter crisis, the Government pledged to

> increase the

> number of hospital beds by 7,000. In fact, the number of beds

> has fallen by

> 13,000 since then.

>

> Meanwhile, hospitals are continuing to carry out thousands of

> operations in

> a desperate attempt to meet a Government deadline at the end of

> this month.

>

> The British Medical Association said “inflexible targets” which mean

> patients must be treated within 18 weeks of referral, by the end

> of this

> month, meant hospitals had failed to create enough slack in the

> system to

> cope with the growing crisis.

>

> Jim Wardrope, an A & E consultant at Sheffield Northern General

> Hospital,said: “We are currently at a stage where we have severe

> and sustined

> pressures and we are really worried about the four day weekend around

> Christmas. Some places will run some extra services out of

> hours, but the

> reality is we do not have a national plan to deal with this.”

>

> The national director for the ambulance service has already

> begged the

> public not to call 999 or visit A & E unless they have a genuine

> emergency,urging people to call NHS Direct, visit their pharmacy

> or try a walk-in

> centre if they need advice.

>

> Ambulance staff said changes to the running of GP services,

> which mean most

> surgeries no longer responded to calls in the evenings and

> weekends, with

> the work “outsourced” to private companies, had left the public

> confusedabout who to contact if they needed to see a doctor when

> their local surgery

> was shut.

>

> Sam Oestreicher, UNISON National Officer for Ambulance workers,

> said: “The

> four day weekend is a real concern; a lot of people don’t know

> how to access

> care when their GP surgery is shut, but the one number they do

> know is 999,

> so it is very hard to keep the pressure off the ambulances”.

>

> On Thursday the health secretary Alan insisted that the

> increase in

> sickness was “pressure we can cope with.”

>

> He was responding to comments from Bradley, the national

> director of

> ambulance services, who told The Daily Telegraph that the

> emergency system

> was “struggling to cope” with demand.

>

> Latest figures show that the London Ambulance Service, where he

> is chief

> executive, experienced its busiest week in its history, with

> more than 20

> 000 calls in the week ending last Sunday, while calls in the

> West Midlands

> rose by 30 per cent, compared with the same period last year.

>

> St ’s Hospital in London, Leighton Hospital in Cheshire,

> and Norfolk

> and Norwich Hospital have all stopped receiving emergency

> patients as

> pressures mounted over the past fortnight, due to rising

> emergencies and

> outbreaks of the vomiting bug.

>

> Dozens more hospitals have closed wards and cancelled scheduled

> operations.

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Everybody is sick because there has been NO sun here for 2 years and

what little sun has been fails to have effect because the cancer

charities tell everyone to put sunscreen on BEFORE they take the sun......

Absolutely nuts :-((

wharrison@... schrieb:

>

> So, why don't the sick people stay home or get help during the day

> from their regular docs???

>

> Winnie

>

> UK: Britain gripped by worst flu outbreak

> since 2000

> undisclosed-recipients@...

> <mailto:undisclosed-recipients%40n46d.bullet.mail.sp1.>

>

> >

> >

> > http://www.telegraph.co <http://www.telegraph.co>

> > uk/health/healthnews/3867906/Britain-gripped-by-worst-flu-

> > outbreak-since-2000

> > html

> >

> > Britain gripped by worst flu outbreak since 2000

> >

> > Britain is in the grip of the worst flu outbreak for eight

> > years, with

> > emergency services fearing they will be " swamped " by calls when

> > GP surgeries

> > close for Christmas.

> >

> >

> >

> > By Donnelly, Health Correspondent

> >

> > Last Updated: 1:54PM GMT 20 Dec 2008

> >

> > This week’s official flu figures are expected to show a further

> > surge in the

> > number of people infected.

> >

> > With most GPs surgeries shut for four days over the Christmas period,

> > experts said the remaining medical services would become

> > stretched to

> > breaking point by the weekend.

> >

> > Accident and Emergency doctors said the chaos in their

> > departments was

> > already reminiscent of scenes from the last big NHS winter

> > crisis, at the

> > turn of the millenium, when crematoriums were forced to work

> > around the

> > clock to cope with the 22,000 people who died.

> >

> > The latest figures show the number of flu infections running at

> > 40 per 100

> > 000 - the highest level at this point in the year since the

> > winter of 2000-1

> > when flu rates went on to reach epidemic proportions.

> >

> > Dozens of hospitals have closed wards or stopped admitting emergency

> > patients as they battle with the rising number of admissions

> > linked to flu

> > and the vomiting bug norovirus. Record numbers of 999 calls have left

> > emergency services struggling to cope, with ambulances queuing outside

> > hospitals who are unable to take patients quickly enough.

> >

> > Heyworth, president of the College of Emergency Medicine,

> > said Accident

> > and Emergency departments and ambulance services were already

> > overstretched,with patients facing long waits in ambulances and

> > on trolleys.

> >

> > “The system simply does not have enough capacity to cope with

> > the pressure

> > it is under, and we expect this to keep getting worse over

> > Christmas, and

> > then over the next three to four weeks,” he said.

> >

> > The A & E consultant at Southampton General Hospital said:

> > “Already we have

> > got scenes where patients are waiting hours in A & E, or on

> > trolleys in

> > corridors because there are not enough beds to admit them.

> > Outside the

> > hospitals, ambulances are backed up, and can’t unload patients

> > because the

> > departments aren’t able to cope with them.

> >

> > “The ambulance service and A & E departments are already inundated with

> > patients and we fear we will soon be swamped,” he added.

> >

> > Mr Heyworth described current pressures as “very reminiscent” of

> > the crisis

> > in the NHS over the millenium.

> >

> > “What is really frustrating about this, is that these pressures are

> > predictable,” he said. “The reason the service struggles to cope

> > is because

> > bed numbers have been cut to a minimum”.

> >

> > After the 1999/2000 winter crisis, the Government pledged to

> > increase the

> > number of hospital beds by 7,000. In fact, the number of beds

> > has fallen by

> > 13,000 since then.

> >

> > Meanwhile, hospitals are continuing to carry out thousands of

> > operations in

> > a desperate attempt to meet a Government deadline at the end of

> > this month.

> >

> > The British Medical Association said “inflexible targets” which mean

> > patients must be treated within 18 weeks of referral, by the end

> > of this

> > month, meant hospitals had failed to create enough slack in the

> > system to

> > cope with the growing crisis.

> >

> > Jim Wardrope, an A & E consultant at Sheffield Northern General

> > Hospital,said: “We are currently at a stage where we have severe

> > and sustined

> > pressures and we are really worried about the four day weekend around

> > Christmas. Some places will run some extra services out of

> > hours, but the

> > reality is we do not have a national plan to deal with this.”

> >

> > The national director for the ambulance service has already

> > begged the

> > public not to call 999 or visit A & E unless they have a genuine

> > emergency,urging people to call NHS Direct, visit their pharmacy

> > or try a walk-in

> > centre if they need advice.

> >

> > Ambulance staff said changes to the running of GP services,

> > which mean most

> > surgeries no longer responded to calls in the evenings and

> > weekends, with

> > the work “outsourced” to private companies, had left the public

> > confusedabout who to contact if they needed to see a doctor when

> > their local surgery

> > was shut.

> >

> > Sam Oestreicher, UNISON National Officer for Ambulance workers,

> > said: “The

> > four day weekend is a real concern; a lot of people don’t know

> > how to access

> > care when their GP surgery is shut, but the one number they do

> > know is 999,

> > so it is very hard to keep the pressure off the ambulances”.

> >

> > On Thursday the health secretary Alan insisted that the

> > increase in

> > sickness was “pressure we can cope with.”

> >

> > He was responding to comments from Bradley, the national

> > director of

> > ambulance services, who told The Daily Telegraph that the

> > emergency system

> > was “struggling to cope” with demand.

> >

> > Latest figures show that the London Ambulance Service, where he

> > is chief

> > executive, experienced its busiest week in its history, with

> > more than 20

> > 000 calls in the week ending last Sunday, while calls in the

> > West Midlands

> > rose by 30 per cent, compared with the same period last year.

> >

> > St ’s Hospital in London, Leighton Hospital in Cheshire,

> > and Norfolk

> > and Norwich Hospital have all stopped receiving emergency

> > patients as

> > pressures mounted over the past fortnight, due to rising

> > emergencies and

> > outbreaks of the vomiting bug.

> >

> > Dozens more hospitals have closed wards and cancelled scheduled

> > operations.

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

No sun for 2 years????

Re: UK: Britain gripped by worst flu outbreak since

2000

Everybody is sick because there has been NO sun here for 2 years and

what little sun has been fails to have effect because the cancer

charities tell everyone to put sunscreen on BEFORE they take the sun......

Absolutely nuts :-((

wharrison@... schrieb:

>

> So, why don't the sick people stay home or get help during the day

> from their regular docs???

>

> Winnie

>

> UK: Britain gripped by worst flu outbreak

> since 2000

> undisclosed-recipients@...

> <mailto:undisclosed-recipients%40n46d.bullet.mail.sp1.>

>

> >

> >

> > http://www.telegraph.co <http://www.telegraph.co>

> > uk/health/healthnews/3867906/Britain-gripped-by-worst-flu-

> > outbreak-since-2000

> > html

> >

> > Britain gripped by worst flu outbreak since 2000

> >

> > Britain is in the grip of the worst flu outbreak for eight

> > years, with

> > emergency services fearing they will be " swamped " by calls when

> > GP surgeries

> > close for Christmas.

> >

> >

> >

> > By Donnelly, Health Correspondent

> >

> > Last Updated: 1:54PM GMT 20 Dec 2008

> >

> > This week's official flu figures are expected to show a further

> > surge in the

> > number of people infected.

> >

> > With most GPs surgeries shut for four days over the Christmas period,

> > experts said the remaining medical services would become

> > stretched to

> > breaking point by the weekend.

> >

> > Accident and Emergency doctors said the chaos in their

> > departments was

> > already reminiscent of scenes from the last big NHS winter

> > crisis, at the

> > turn of the millenium, when crematoriums were forced to work

> > around the

> > clock to cope with the 22,000 people who died.

> >

> > The latest figures show the number of flu infections running at

> > 40 per 100

> > 000 - the highest level at this point in the year since the

> > winter of 2000-1

> > when flu rates went on to reach epidemic proportions.

> >

> > Dozens of hospitals have closed wards or stopped admitting emergency

> > patients as they battle with the rising number of admissions

> > linked to flu

> > and the vomiting bug norovirus. Record numbers of 999 calls have left

> > emergency services struggling to cope, with ambulances queuing outside

> > hospitals who are unable to take patients quickly enough.

> >

> > Heyworth, president of the College of Emergency Medicine,

> > said Accident

> > and Emergency departments and ambulance services were already

> > overstretched,with patients facing long waits in ambulances and

> > on trolleys.

> >

> > " The system simply does not have enough capacity to cope with

> > the pressure

> > it is under, and we expect this to keep getting worse over

> > Christmas, and

> > then over the next three to four weeks, " he said.

> >

> > The A & E consultant at Southampton General Hospital said:

> > " Already we have

> > got scenes where patients are waiting hours in A & E, or on

> > trolleys in

> > corridors because there are not enough beds to admit them.

> > Outside the

> > hospitals, ambulances are backed up, and can't unload patients

> > because the

> > departments aren't able to cope with them.

> >

> > " The ambulance service and A & E departments are already inundated with

> > patients and we fear we will soon be swamped, " he added.

> >

> > Mr Heyworth described current pressures as " very reminiscent " of

> > the crisis

> > in the NHS over the millenium.

> >

> > " What is really frustrating about this, is that these pressures are

> > predictable, " he said. " The reason the service struggles to cope

> > is because

> > bed numbers have been cut to a minimum " .

> >

> > After the 1999/2000 winter crisis, the Government pledged to

> > increase the

> > number of hospital beds by 7,000. In fact, the number of beds

> > has fallen by

> > 13,000 since then.

> >

> > Meanwhile, hospitals are continuing to carry out thousands of

> > operations in

> > a desperate attempt to meet a Government deadline at the end of

> > this month.

> >

> > The British Medical Association said " inflexible targets " which mean

> > patients must be treated within 18 weeks of referral, by the end

> > of this

> > month, meant hospitals had failed to create enough slack in the

> > system to

> > cope with the growing crisis.

> >

> > Jim Wardrope, an A & E consultant at Sheffield Northern General

> > Hospital,said: " We are currently at a stage where we have severe

> > and sustined

> > pressures and we are really worried about the four day weekend around

> > Christmas. Some places will run some extra services out of

> > hours, but the

> > reality is we do not have a national plan to deal with this. "

> >

> > The national director for the ambulance service has already

> > begged the

> > public not to call 999 or visit A & E unless they have a genuine

> > emergency,urging people to call NHS Direct, visit their pharmacy

> > or try a walk-in

> > centre if they need advice.

> >

> > Ambulance staff said changes to the running of GP services,

> > which mean most

> > surgeries no longer responded to calls in the evenings and

> > weekends, with

> > the work " outsourced " to private companies, had left the public

> > confusedabout who to contact if they needed to see a doctor when

> > their local surgery

> > was shut.

> >

> > Sam Oestreicher, UNISON National Officer for Ambulance workers,

> > said: " The

> > four day weekend is a real concern; a lot of people don't know

> > how to access

> > care when their GP surgery is shut, but the one number they do

> > know is 999,

> > so it is very hard to keep the pressure off the ambulances " .

> >

> > On Thursday the health secretary Alan insisted that the

> > increase in

> > sickness was " pressure we can cope with. "

> >

> > He was responding to comments from Bradley, the national

> > director of

> > ambulance services, who told The Daily Telegraph that the

> > emergency system

> > was " struggling to cope " with demand.

> >

> > Latest figures show that the London Ambulance Service, where he

> > is chief

> > executive, experienced its busiest week in its history, with

> > more than 20

> > 000 calls in the week ending last Sunday, while calls in the

> > West Midlands

> > rose by 30 per cent, compared with the same period last year.

> >

> > St 's Hospital in London, Leighton Hospital in Cheshire,

> > and Norfolk

> > and Norwich Hospital have all stopped receiving emergency

> > patients as

> > pressures mounted over the past fortnight, due to rising

> > emergencies and

> > outbreaks of the vomiting bug.

> >

> > Dozens more hospitals have closed wards and cancelled scheduled

> > operations.

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

It's news to me and I live here! Not heard of anyone with flu in

real life or on forums I'm on. They probably all got flu jabs,

that's why they're sick. But why would you go to hospital with flu?

Muriel

>

>

> http://www.telegraph.co

> uk/health/healthnews/3867906/Britain-gripped-by-worst-flu-outbreak-

since-2000

> html

> Britain gripped by worst flu outbreak since 2000

> Britain is in the grip of the worst flu outbreak for eight years,

with

> emergency services fearing they will be " swamped " by calls when GP

surgeries

> close for Christmas.

>

> By Donnelly, Health Correspondent

> Last Updated: 1:54PM GMT 20 Dec 2008

> This week's official flu figures are expected to show a further

surge in the

> number of people infected.

> With most GPs surgeries shut for four days over the Christmas

period,

> experts said the remaining medical services would become stretched

to

> breaking point by the weekend.

> Accident and Emergency doctors said the chaos in their departments

was

> already reminiscent of scenes from the last big NHS winter crisis,

at the

> turn of the millenium, when crematoriums were forced to work

around the

> clock to cope with the 22,000 people who died.

> The latest figures show the number of flu infections running at 40

per 100

> 000 - the highest level at this point in the year since the winter

of 2000-1

> when flu rates went on to reach epidemic proportions.

> Dozens of hospitals have closed wards or stopped admitting

emergency

> patients as they battle with the rising number of admissions

linked to flu

> and the vomiting bug norovirus. Record numbers of 999 calls have

left

> emergency services struggling to cope, with ambulances queuing

outside

> hospitals who are unable to take patients quickly enough.

> Heyworth, president of the College of Emergency Medicine,

said Accident

> and Emergency departments and ambulance services were already

overstretched,

> with patients facing long waits in ambulances and on trolleys.

> " The system simply does not have enough capacity to cope with the

pressure

> it is under, and we expect this to keep getting worse over

Christmas, and

> then over the next three to four weeks, " he said.

> The A & E consultant at Southampton General Hospital said: " Already

we have

> got scenes where patients are waiting hours in A & E, or on trolleys

in

> corridors because there are not enough beds to admit them. Outside

the

> hospitals, ambulances are backed up, and can't unload patients

because the

> departments aren't able to cope with them.

> " The ambulance service and A & E departments are already inundated

with

> patients and we fear we will soon be swamped, " he added.

> Mr Heyworth described current pressures as " very reminiscent " of

the crisis

> in the NHS over the millenium.

> " What is really frustrating about this, is that these pressures are

> predictable, " he said. " The reason the service struggles to cope

is because

> bed numbers have been cut to a minimum " .

> After the 1999/2000 winter crisis, the Government pledged to

increase the

> number of hospital beds by 7,000. In fact, the number of beds has

fallen by

> 13,000 since then.

> Meanwhile, hospitals are continuing to carry out thousands of

operations in

> a desperate attempt to meet a Government deadline at the end of

this month.

> The British Medical Association said " inflexible targets " which

mean

> patients must be treated within 18 weeks of referral, by the end

of this

> month, meant hospitals had failed to create enough slack in the

system to

> cope with the growing crisis.

> Jim Wardrope, an A & E consultant at Sheffield Northern General

Hospital,

> said: " We are currently at a stage where we have severe and

sustined

> pressures and we are really worried about the four day weekend

around

> Christmas. Some places will run some extra services out of hours,

but the

> reality is we do not have a national plan to deal with this. "

> The national director for the ambulance service has already begged

the

> public not to call 999 or visit A & E unless they have a genuine

emergency,

> urging people to call NHS Direct, visit their pharmacy or try a

walk-in

> centre if they need advice.

> Ambulance staff said changes to the running of GP services, which

mean most

> surgeries no longer responded to calls in the evenings and

weekends, with

> the work " outsourced " to private companies, had left the public

confused

> about who to contact if they needed to see a doctor when their

local surgery

> was shut.

> Sam Oestreicher, UNISON National Officer for Ambulance workers,

said: " The

> four day weekend is a real concern; a lot of people don't know how

to access

> care when their GP surgery is shut, but the one number they do

know is 999,

> so it is very hard to keep the pressure off the ambulances " .

> On Thursday the health secretary Alan insisted that the

increase in

> sickness was " pressure we can cope with. "

> He was responding to comments from Bradley, the national

director of

> ambulance services, who told The Daily Telegraph that the

emergency system

> was " struggling to cope " with demand.

> Latest figures show that the London Ambulance Service, where he is

chief

> executive, experienced its busiest week in its history, with more

than 20

> 000 calls in the week ending last Sunday, while calls in the West

Midlands

> rose by 30 per cent, compared with the same period last year.

> St 's Hospital in London, Leighton Hospital in Cheshire, and

Norfolk

> and Norwich Hospital have all stopped receiving emergency patients

as

> pressures mounted over the past fortnight, due to rising

emergencies and

> outbreaks of the vomiting bug.

> Dozens more hospitals have closed wards and cancelled scheduled

operations.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Muriel, we had the same thing happen a few months ago when they reported

Australia to be in the grip of deadly flu from which a number of children

had already died. No-one knew anything about that either.

But sadly these sorts of stories sell newspapers and the vast majority are

quick to believe the headlines...and the headlines sell OTC drugs!

Anyone with any sense would avoid hospitals like the plague if they had flu

- they'd probably end up with Norwalk! Is that also another marketing ploy?

Haven't come across many cases on my forums so far...

Keep well!

Sue x

-- Re: UK: Britain gripped by worst flu outbreak since

2000

It's news to me and I live here! Not heard of anyone with flu in

real life or on forums I'm on. They probably all got flu jabs,

that's why they're sick. But why would you go to hospital with flu?

Muriel

>

>

> http://www.telegraph.co

> uk/health/healthnews/3867906/Britain-gripped-by-worst-flu-outbreak-

since-2000

> html

> Britain gripped by worst flu outbreak since 2000

> Britain is in the grip of the worst flu outbreak for eight years,

with

> emergency services fearing they will be " swamped " by calls when GP

surgeries

> close for Christmas.

>

> By Donnelly, Health Correspondent

> Last Updated: 1:54PM GMT 20 Dec 2008

> This week's official flu figures are expected to show a further

surge in the

> number of people infected.

> With most GPs surgeries shut for four days over the Christmas

period,

> experts said the remaining medical services would become stretched

to

> breaking point by the weekend.

> Accident and Emergency doctors said the chaos in their departments

was

> already reminiscent of scenes from the last big NHS winter crisis,

at the

> turn of the millenium, when crematoriums were forced to work

around the

> clock to cope with the 22,000 people who died.

> The latest figures show the number of flu infections running at 40

per 100

> 000 - the highest level at this point in the year since the winter

of 2000-1

> when flu rates went on to reach epidemic proportions.

> Dozens of hospitals have closed wards or stopped admitting

emergency

> patients as they battle with the rising number of admissions

linked to flu

> and the vomiting bug norovirus. Record numbers of 999 calls have

left

> emergency services struggling to cope, with ambulances queuing

outside

> hospitals who are unable to take patients quickly enough.

> Heyworth, president of the College of Emergency Medicine,

said Accident

> and Emergency departments and ambulance services were already

overstretched,

> with patients facing long waits in ambulances and on trolleys.

> " The system simply does not have enough capacity to cope with the

pressure

> it is under, and we expect this to keep getting worse over

Christmas, and

> then over the next three to four weeks, " he said.

> The A & E consultant at Southampton General Hospital said: " Already

we have

> got scenes where patients are waiting hours in A & E, or on trolleys

in

> corridors because there are not enough beds to admit them. Outside

the

> hospitals, ambulances are backed up, and can't unload patients

because the

> departments aren't able to cope with them.

> " The ambulance service and A & E departments are already inundated

with

> patients and we fear we will soon be swamped, " he added.

> Mr Heyworth described current pressures as " very reminiscent " of

the crisis

> in the NHS over the millenium.

> " What is really frustrating about this, is that these pressures are

> predictable, " he said. " The reason the service struggles to cope

is because

> bed numbers have been cut to a minimum " .

> After the 1999/2000 winter crisis, the Government pledged to

increase the

> number of hospital beds by 7,000. In fact, the number of beds has

fallen by

> 13,000 since then.

> Meanwhile, hospitals are continuing to carry out thousands of

operations in

> a desperate attempt to meet a Government deadline at the end of

this month.

> The British Medical Association said " inflexible targets " which

mean

> patients must be treated within 18 weeks of referral, by the end

of this

> month, meant hospitals had failed to create enough slack in the

system to

> cope with the growing crisis.

> Jim Wardrope, an A & E consultant at Sheffield Northern General

Hospital,

> said: " We are currently at a stage where we have severe and

sustined

> pressures and we are really worried about the four day weekend

around

> Christmas. Some places will run some extra services out of hours,

but the

> reality is we do not have a national plan to deal with this. "

> The national director for the ambulance service has already begged

the

> public not to call 999 or visit A & E unless they have a genuine

emergency,

> urging people to call NHS Direct, visit their pharmacy or try a

walk-in

> centre if they need advice.

> Ambulance staff said changes to the running of GP services, which

mean most

> surgeries no longer responded to calls in the evenings and

weekends, with

> the work " outsourced " to private companies, had left the public

confused

> about who to contact if they needed to see a doctor when their

local surgery

> was shut.

> Sam Oestreicher, UNISON National Officer for Ambulance workers,

said: " The

> four day weekend is a real concern; a lot of people don't know how

to access

> care when their GP surgery is shut, but the one number they do

know is 999,

> so it is very hard to keep the pressure off the ambulances " .

> On Thursday the health secretary Alan insisted that the

increase in

> sickness was " pressure we can cope with. "

> He was responding to comments from Bradley, the national

director of

> ambulance services, who told The Daily Telegraph that the

emergency system

> was " struggling to cope " with demand.

> Latest figures show that the London Ambulance Service, where he is

chief

> executive, experienced its busiest week in its history, with more

than 20

> 000 calls in the week ending last Sunday, while calls in the West

Midlands

> rose by 30 per cent, compared with the same period last year.

> St 's Hospital in London, Leighton Hospital in Cheshire, and

Norfolk

> and Norwich Hospital have all stopped receiving emergency patients

as

> pressures mounted over the past fortnight, due to rising

emergencies and

> outbreaks of the vomiting bug.

> Dozens more hospitals have closed wards and cancelled scheduled

operations.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Glad it's not just me Sue! Last place I'd go if sick is a hospital

or allopathic dr. Just heard this morning of a lady who went to

have a polyp removed, ended up seriously ill and now has had a leg

removed!!!!!!!!!!!

Muriel

>

> Muriel, we had the same thing happen a few months ago when they

reported

> Australia to be in the grip of deadly flu from which a number of

children

> had already died. No-one knew anything about that either.

>

> But sadly these sorts of stories sell newspapers and the vast

majority are

> quick to believe the headlines...and the headlines sell OTC

drugs!

>

> Anyone with any sense would avoid hospitals like the plague if

they had flu

> - they'd probably end up with Norwalk! Is that also another

marketing ploy?

> Haven't come across many cases on my forums so far...

>

> Keep well!

>

> Sue x

>

> -- Re: UK: Britain gripped by worst flu

outbreak since

> 2000

>

> It's news to me and I live here! Not heard of anyone with flu in

> real life or on forums I'm on. They probably all got flu jabs,

> that's why they're sick. But why would you go to hospital with

flu?

>

> Muriel

[Guest guest]

probably flogging the flu vax somewhere abroad off our 'terrible' outbreak here

that has escaped me also

Re: UK: Britain gripped by worst flu outbreak since

2000

It's news to me and I live here! Not heard of anyone with flu in

real life or on forums I'm on. They probably all got flu jabs,

that's why they're sick. But why would you go to hospital with flu?

Muriel

>

>

> http://www.telegraph.co

> uk/health/healthnews/3867906/Britain-gripped-by-worst-flu-outbreak-

since-2000

> html

> Britain gripped by worst flu outbreak since 2000

> Britain is in the grip of the worst flu outbreak for eight years,

with

> emergency services fearing they will be " swamped " by calls when GP

surgeries

> close for Christmas.

>

> By Donnelly, Health Correspondent

> Last Updated: 1:54PM GMT 20 Dec 2008

> This week's official flu figures are expected to show a further

surge in the

> number of people infected.

> With most GPs surgeries shut for four days over the Christmas

period,

> experts said the remaining medical services would become stretched

to

> breaking point by the weekend.

> Accident and Emergency doctors said the chaos in their departments

was

> already reminiscent of scenes from the last big NHS winter crisis,

at the

> turn of the millenium, when crematoriums were forced to work

around the

> clock to cope with the 22,000 people who died.

> The latest figures show the number of flu infections running at 40

per 100

> 000 - the highest level at this point in the year since the winter

of 2000-1

> when flu rates went on to reach epidemic proportions.

> Dozens of hospitals have closed wards or stopped admitting

emergency

> patients as they battle with the rising number of admissions

linked to flu

> and the vomiting bug norovirus. Record numbers of 999 calls have

left

> emergency services struggling to cope, with ambulances queuing

outside

> hospitals who are unable to take patients quickly enough.

> Heyworth, president of the College of Emergency Medicine,

said Accident

> and Emergency departments and ambulance services were already

overstretched,

> with patients facing long waits in ambulances and on trolleys.

> " The system simply does not have enough capacity to cope with the

pressure

> it is under, and we expect this to keep getting worse over

Christmas, and

> then over the next three to four weeks, " he said.

> The A & E consultant at Southampton General Hospital said: " Already

we have

> got scenes where patients are waiting hours in A & E, or on trolleys

in

> corridors because there are not enough beds to admit them. Outside

the

> hospitals, ambulances are backed up, and can't unload patients

because the

> departments aren't able to cope with them.

> " The ambulance service and A & E departments are already inundated

with

> patients and we fear we will soon be swamped, " he added.

> Mr Heyworth described current pressures as " very reminiscent " of

the crisis

> in the NHS over the millenium.

> " What is really frustrating about this, is that these pressures are

> predictable, " he said. " The reason the service struggles to cope

is because

> bed numbers have been cut to a minimum " .

> After the 1999/2000 winter crisis, the Government pledged to

increase the

> number of hospital beds by 7,000. In fact, the number of beds has

fallen by

> 13,000 since then.

> Meanwhile, hospitals are continuing to carry out thousands of

operations in

> a desperate attempt to meet a Government deadline at the end of

this month.

> The British Medical Association said " inflexible targets " which

mean

> patients must be treated within 18 weeks of referral, by the end

of this

> month, meant hospitals had failed to create enough slack in the

system to

> cope with the growing crisis.

> Jim Wardrope, an A & E consultant at Sheffield Northern General

Hospital,

> said: " We are currently at a stage where we have severe and

sustined

> pressures and we are really worried about the four day weekend

around

> Christmas. Some places will run some extra services out of hours,

but the

> reality is we do not have a national plan to deal with this. "

> The national director for the ambulance service has already begged

the

> public not to call 999 or visit A & E unless they have a genuine

emergency,

> urging people to call NHS Direct, visit their pharmacy or try a

walk-in

> centre if they need advice.

> Ambulance staff said changes to the running of GP services, which

mean most

> surgeries no longer responded to calls in the evenings and

weekends, with

> the work " outsourced " to private companies, had left the public

confused

> about who to contact if they needed to see a doctor when their

local surgery

> was shut.

> Sam Oestreicher, UNISON National Officer for Ambulance workers,

said: " The

> four day weekend is a real concern; a lot of people don't know how

to access

> care when their GP surgery is shut, but the one number they do

know is 999,

> so it is very hard to keep the pressure off the ambulances " .

> On Thursday the health secretary Alan insisted that the

increase in

> sickness was " pressure we can cope with. "

> He was responding to comments from Bradley, the national

director of

> ambulance services, who told The Daily Telegraph that the

emergency system

> was " struggling to cope " with demand.

> Latest figures show that the London Ambulance Service, where he is

chief

> executive, experienced its busiest week in its history, with more

than 20

> 000 calls in the week ending last Sunday, while calls in the West

Midlands

> rose by 30 per cent, compared with the same period last year.

> St 's Hospital in London, Leighton Hospital in Cheshire, and

Norfolk

> and Norwich Hospital have all stopped receiving emergency patients

as

> pressures mounted over the past fortnight, due to rising

emergencies and

> outbreaks of the vomiting bug.

> Dozens more hospitals have closed wards and cancelled scheduled

operations.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

It has been raining and raining and raining and rain..........

From: E. Rippetoe <srippetoe@...>

Subject: RE: UK: Britain gripped by worst flu outbreak since

2000

Vaccinations

Date: Sunday, 21 December, 2008, 7:12 AM

No sun for 2 years????

Re: UK: Britain gripped by worst flu outbreak since

2000

Everybody is sick because there has been NO sun here for 2 years and

what little sun has been fails to have effect because the cancer

charities tell everyone to put sunscreen on BEFORE they take the sun......

Absolutely nuts :-((

wharrison@optonline .net schrieb:

>

> So, why don't the sick people stay home or get help during the day

> from their regular docs???

>

> Winnie

>

> UK: Britain gripped by worst flu outbreak

> since 2000

> undisclosed- recipients@ n46d.bullet. mail.sp1.

> <mailto:undisclosed -recipients% 40n46d.bullet. mail.sp1. >

>

> >

> >

> > http://www.telegrap h.co <http://www.telegrap h.co>

> > uk/health/healthnew s/3867906/ Britain-gripped- by-worst- flu-

> > outbreak-since- 2000

> > html

> >

> > Britain gripped by worst flu outbreak since 2000

> >

> > Britain is in the grip of the worst flu outbreak for eight

> > years, with

> > emergency services fearing they will be " swamped " by calls when

> > GP surgeries

> > close for Christmas.

> >

> >

> >

> > By Donnelly, Health Correspondent

> >

> > Last Updated: 1:54PM GMT 20 Dec 2008

> >

> > This week's official flu figures are expected to show a further

> > surge in the

> > number of people infected.

> >

> > With most GPs surgeries shut for four days over the Christmas period,

> > experts said the remaining medical services would become

> > stretched to

> > breaking point by the weekend.

> >

> > Accident and Emergency doctors said the chaos in their

> > departments was

> > already reminiscent of scenes from the last big NHS winter

> > crisis, at the

> > turn of the millenium, when crematoriums were forced to work

> > around the

> > clock to cope with the 22,000 people who died.

> >

> > The latest figures show the number of flu infections running at

> > 40 per 100

> > 000 - the highest level at this point in the year since the

> > winter of 2000-1

> > when flu rates went on to reach epidemic proportions.

> >

> > Dozens of hospitals have closed wards or stopped admitting emergency

> > patients as they battle with the rising number of admissions

> > linked to flu

> > and the vomiting bug norovirus. Record numbers of 999 calls have left

> > emergency services struggling to cope, with ambulances queuing outside

> > hospitals who are unable to take patients quickly enough.

> >

> > Heyworth, president of the College of Emergency Medicine,

> > said Accident

> > and Emergency departments and ambulance services were already

> > overstretched, with patients facing long waits in ambulances and

> > on trolleys.

> >

> > " The system simply does not have enough capacity to cope with

> > the pressure

> > it is under, and we expect this to keep getting worse over

> > Christmas, and

> > then over the next three to four weeks, " he said.

> >

> > The A & E consultant at Southampton General Hospital said:

> > " Already we have

> > got scenes where patients are waiting hours in A & E, or on

> > trolleys in

> > corridors because there are not enough beds to admit them.

> > Outside the

> > hospitals, ambulances are backed up, and can't unload patients

> > because the

> > departments aren't able to cope with them.

> >

> > " The ambulance service and A & E departments are already inundated with

> > patients and we fear we will soon be swamped, " he added.

> >

> > Mr Heyworth described current pressures as " very reminiscent " of

> > the crisis

> > in the NHS over the millenium.

> >

> > " What is really frustrating about this, is that these pressures are

> > predictable, " he said. " The reason the service struggles to cope

> > is because

> > bed numbers have been cut to a minimum " .

> >

> > After the 1999/2000 winter crisis, the Government pledged to

> > increase the

> > number of hospital beds by 7,000. In fact, the number of beds

> > has fallen by

> > 13,000 since then.

> >

> > Meanwhile, hospitals are continuing to carry out thousands of

> > operations in

> > a desperate attempt to meet a Government deadline at the end of

> > this month.

> >

> > The British Medical Association said " inflexible targets " which mean

> > patients must be treated within 18 weeks of referral, by the end

> > of this

> > month, meant hospitals had failed to create enough slack in the

> > system to

> > cope with the growing crisis.

> >

> > Jim Wardrope, an A & E consultant at Sheffield Northern General

> > Hospital,said: " We are currently at a stage where we have severe

> > and sustined

> > pressures and we are really worried about the four day weekend around

> > Christmas. Some places will run some extra services out of

> > hours, but the

> > reality is we do not have a national plan to deal with this. "

> >

> > The national director for the ambulance service has already

> > begged the

> > public not to call 999 or visit A & E unless they have a genuine

> > emergency,urging people to call NHS Direct, visit their pharmacy

> > or try a walk-in

> > centre if they need advice.

> >

> > Ambulance staff said changes to the running of GP services,

> > which mean most

> > surgeries no longer responded to calls in the evenings and

> > weekends, with

> > the work " outsourced " to private companies, had left the public

> > confusedabout who to contact if they needed to see a doctor when

> > their local surgery

> > was shut.

> >

> > Sam Oestreicher, UNISON National Officer for Ambulance workers,

> > said: " The

> > four day weekend is a real concern; a lot of people don't know

> > how to access

> > care when their GP surgery is shut, but the one number they do

> > know is 999,

> > so it is very hard to keep the pressure off the ambulances " .

> >

> > On Thursday the health secretary Alan insisted that the

> > increase in

> > sickness was " pressure we can cope with. "

> >

> > He was responding to comments from Bradley, the national

> > director of

> > ambulance services, who told The Daily Telegraph that the

> > emergency system

> > was " struggling to cope " with demand.

> >

> > Latest figures show that the London Ambulance Service, where he

> > is chief

> > executive, experienced its busiest week in its history, with

> > more than 20

> > 000 calls in the week ending last Sunday, while calls in the

> > West Midlands

> > rose by 30 per cent, compared with the same period last year.

> >

> > St 's Hospital in London, Leighton Hospital in Cheshire,

> > and Norfolk

> > and Norwich Hospital have all stopped receiving emergency

> > patients as

> > pressures mounted over the past fortnight, due to rising

> > emergencies and

> > outbreaks of the vomiting bug.

> >

> > Dozens more hospitals have closed wards and cancelled scheduled

> > operations.

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

em, not that I noticed, glad I don't live in your house. I got new

wellies a couple of months ago, haven't needed to wear them yet.

Not a lot of sun, but we do get some some days.

Muriel

> From: E. Rippetoe <srippetoe@...>

> Subject: RE: UK: Britain gripped by worst flu

outbreak since 2000

> Vaccinations

> Date: Sunday, 21 December, 2008, 7:12 AM

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

> No sun for 2 years????

>

>

>

> Re: UK: Britain gripped by worst flu

outbreak since

>

> 2000

>

>

>

> Everybody is sick because there has been NO sun here for 2 years

and

>

> what little sun has been fails to have effect because the cancer

>

> charities tell everyone to put sunscreen on BEFORE they take the

sun......

>

>

>

> Absolutely nuts :-((

>

>

>

> wharrison@optonline .net schrieb:

>

> >

>

> > So, why don't the sick people stay home or get help during the

day

>

> > from their regular docs???

>

> >

>

> > Winnie

>

> >

>

> > ----- Original Message -----

>

[Guest guest]

I have seen this thread a few times and find the 'no sun' thing a little

strange.  I live in england and yes at this time of year the days are very short

and if you work you often go to work in the dark and come home in the dark.  But

we have many many sunny days.  I am from a part of  the country that has alot of

rain, but it is near the coast.  Also everyone I know is not sick, no more than

anywhere else it seems.  You do have to make an effort in the winter to get

outside earlier in the day in order to get some sun, but there is sun to be had.