Twenty-four NHS trusts have now declared 'important incidents' amid staffing shortages and rising Covid admissions - however ministers have downplayed the warnings saying it isn't uncommon for hospitals to face winter crises.
Grant Shapps mentioned that 24 out of England's 137 trusts - or 17.5 per cent of the whole well being service - had signalled they might not be capable to ship important care within the coming weeks.
However the Transport Secretary poured chilly water over the alerts, telling Sky Information: 'It isn't totally uncommon for hospitals to go important over the winter with issues just like the flu pandemic.'
The NHS affected person ready checklist has now hit 6million in England alone, MPs have warned, and will double in three years with out motion.
However Boris Johnson mentioned yesterday that life may very well be again to regular by February, after circumstances rose by simply six per cent in every week yesterday. The UK recorded 194,747 day by day circumstances, in comparison with 183,037 final Wednesday.
The Prime Minister has held his nerve within the face of the spiralling Omicron wave - not like his counterparts in Scotland and Wales - and imposed no new curbs over the vacations, successful him reward from Tory MPs.
Former Prime Minister Theresa Might hailed Mr Johnson, telling the Commons: 'Might I commend you for resisting calls from Labour for extra restrictions earlier than Christmas. It isn't within the nationwide curiosity to close down sectors of our financial system each time we see a variant.'
Lockdown-sceptic MP Steve Brine additionally heeralded the PM, saying: 'The Prime Minister deserves actual credit score for selections in respect of Covid - he has adopted the proof and brought the broader view of our society and financial system.'
The Prime Minister's official spokesman yesterday additionally poured chilly water over trusts declaring important incidents, stressing it's 'not indicator' of pressures on the well being service as a result of it solely offers a short snapshot.
They mentioned: 'It is price understanding that important incidents can final, in some sure circumstances, a matter of hours, a morning or afternoon, a day, a few of them can last more than that. So they are not indicator essentially of how the NHS is performing.'
The complete checklist of trusts has not been made public, nonetheless these which have raised the alarm embody North East Ambulance Service, Dorset County Hospital and Nice Western Hospitals.
Trusts declaring important incidents can ask employees on go away or on relaxation days to return to wards, and elevating the alarm permits them to obtain assist from close by hospitals.
NHS employees took common of 14 DAYS off sick yearly BEFORE Covid struck
The PM's spokesperson mentioned: 'We all know that there are a selection of trusts which have reported important incidents.
'I imagine it is greater than 20 at present, however that quantity will fluctuate. However once more, these important care incidents can range when it comes to their scale, some can relate to 1 a part of the belief, some may be throughout the entire belief. So it is not indicator, essentially, of NHS efficiency at anyone time.'
Hospitals have cancelled operations and the Prime Minister yesterday revealed plans are being drawn as much as name within the Military if the disaster continues to worsen.
Some non-urgent operations at 17 hospitals throughout Better Manchester was known as off, as well being chiefs mentioned 15 per cent of their employees had been caught at house with Covid.
Matthew Taylor, head of the NHS Confederation - an organisation which represents trusts - mentioned he would assist chopping Covid isolation to 5 days to scale back stress on the well being service so long as it was backed up by the science.
And Covid hospitalisations are including to hospital pressures, with 2,258 admissions recorded on December 28, up 56.9 per cent in every week, whereas the variety of sufferers in hospital reached 17,726 on Tuesday - the very best figures seen since February.
Nonetheless, a 3rd of admissions are so-called incidental circumstances, when somebody was not admitted as a result of virus however coincidentally examined constructive.
For comparability, round 30,000 individuals had been in hospital on the identical date final January.
And almost 40,000 Britons had been in hospital on the peak of the second wave final winter.
Docs right now warned that tips on isolating sufferers who've come into contact with an contaminated individual had been including to the NHS' miserty and 'crippling' the well being service.
Present NHS tips state inpatients who've been uncovered to an contaminated individual whereas in hospital have to be remoted or grouped along with different uncovered sufferers till 14 days after their final publicity if they continue to be in hospital.
This is applicable to all sufferers, regardless of whether or not they have been absolutely vaccinated or had a earlier Covid an infection. The identical rule applies if the affected person is discharged to a care house - they have to be remoted for the rest of the 14-day interval.
Pat Cattini, an an infection management nurse on the Royal Marsden NHS basis Belief, instructed the Well being Service Journal (HSJ) the steerage has by no means been up to date 'regardless of vaccination and altering epidemiology and is crippling healthcare'.
Even NHS bosses again chopping self-isolation interval to FIVE days as staffing disaster sees hospitals CANCEL routine operations
Ms Cattini, who can be a former president of the An infection Prevention Society, known as for the problem to be reviewed 'urgently', warning the rule 'is a large driver of mattress stress'.
The HSJ reported that the problem has been raised with the UK Well being Safety Company (UKHSA) and NHS England nationwide administrators.
A London hospital advisor added: 'So many sufferers are turning constructive at day one/two/three/4 - admitted as non-Covid however incubating Covid - that it's inflicting devastation due to contacts and blocked beds.
'It's a lot, a lot tougher to handle than Delta attributable to [high] infectivity... [Trusts] must undertake totally different methods and make danger assessments.'
The advisor warned that hospitals are 'working out of each Covid and non-Covid capability'.
A senior hospital advisor in one other area mentioned: 'It creates one other main headache for mattress administration because it creates one other stream of sufferers that need to be separated.
'This headache grows when care properties will not take sufferers again till they're out of the 14-day window which delays discharge.'
A UKHSA spokesperson mentioned: 'The present steerage is in place to assist restrict the unfold of Covid to susceptible individuals and NHS employees.
'We proceed to work in partnership with NHSEI to overview the steerage and can make adjustments the place acceptable.'
It comes as lots of of care properties up and down the nation are having to shut their doorways to new residents due to Covid outbreaks and Omicron-fuelled staffing shortages.
Some 70 per cent of properties run by the MHA - one of many UK's largest not-for-profit care properties - are at present not accepting new residents, or 62 out of 84 properties.
And at 4 Seasons Well being Care - one of many nation's largest suppliers - 40 per cent of properties should not taking sufferers, or 54 out of 135 properties.
Sources within the sector instructed MailOnline a 3rd of properties nationally are at present unable to tackle new residents attributable to stringent Covid tips.
Below present guidelines, properties can not tackle new sufferers for 28 days after they've detected an outbreak of the virus - when two or extra circumstances are detected.
A high NHS boss warned having so many properties in disaster mode was leaving already-struggling hospitals unable to discharge sufferers and unencumber house.
Care our bodies are calling on ministers to scale back the quarantine interval, saying it's 'out of step' with the remainder of the nation. For comparability, in England self-isolation can finish after seven days with two damaging lateral movement checks.