A leading doctor has said that this winter is proving "significantly harder" for the Welsh NHS than other years, as pressures on staff mount. Dr Olwen Williams, the vice-president of the Royal College of Physicians in Wales, told the BBC that the pressures on staff were "tremendous" and that they were suffering "moral injury".
Dr Williams said that the combination of staff shortages and vacancies, alongside illnesses which are also impacting the workforce as well as the public, is adding to the pressures the NHS in Wales is facing.
She said: "The pressures on our staff are tremendous, not only are they themselves falling with influenza, vomiting bugs, and Covid, they also have to deal with the fact that there are a significant number of vacancies across both health and social care that are adding to these pressures of the illnesses that we are seeing as well."
Read more: Welsh health board declares critical incident as it battles 'unprecedented' demand
Dr Williams is based in Beti Cadwaladr health board in north Wales which recently said it was facing a critical incident after being inundated with cases of Covid-19 and flu. A lack of available hospital beds and staff shortages is leading to long waiting times for patients.
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, which covers the north Wales counties of Anglesey, Gwynedd, Denbighshire, Conwy, Wrexham and Flintshire, said it is struggling to cope with the demand on the system. A number of patients are suffering from flu, coronavirus and other respiratory viruses, as well as an increase in those need emergency care. Planned procedures and appointments on Tuesday were cancelled unless urgent.
Alongside Dr Williams, Darren Hughes, director of the Welsh NHS Confederation, also told the BBC that the Christmas period had "tipped" the NHS over the edge. He said that due to sickness and annual leave, and the increased pressures caused by winter flu and higher covid cases all Welsh health boards were "at the very highest level of pressure."
Mr Hughes said that the government needed to do more to protect the NHS and invest in services, alongside developing an increased workforce. He said: "I've been saying this for so long: the NHS is in danger, and the government aren't doing enough, tough choices need to be made.
"The NHS in Wales is in a hugely difficult situation, there's a crisis in the NHS, and there's a crisis in social care - we're facing the toughest times we've seen." Mr Hughes said politicians needed to commit to a long-term plan to put these things right.
"The NHS has been under pressure and under-funded for a significant period of time, we've got a political blame game happening between Cardiff and Westminster. What we are seeing across the UK, the NHS in Northern Ireland, in Wales, and in England, is pressures that simply cannot be coped with."
Health boards across Wales have been reacting to the increased pressure posed by flu and coronavirus cases. As well as Betsi Cadwaladr, Cwm Taf Morgannwg and Hywel Dda University health boards have said their hospitals and emergency departments continue to be extremely busy.
Chief medical officer Dr Sir Frank Atherton said on New Years Eve that all Welsh health boards were "at the highest level of escalation". A total of 1,877 flu cases were recorded across Wales in the week up to Christmas and 369 of those led to hospital treatment – only a month on from a week which saw just 53 hospital admissions for flu.
The Welsh Government have been approached for comment.
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