York health chief says NHS facing 'winter in July'

Sharon Stoltz has warned the NHS in York is under mounting pressure

A health chief has warned the NHS is experiencing "winter in July" due to mounting waiting list pressures

York's public health director Sharon Stoltz said services were busier than ever due to a backlog of elective procedures and other illnesses.

Low staff morale and sickness was also cited as a concern.

Yorkshire and Scarborough Teaching Hospital Trust said they were busy but better placed to cope than at the beginning of the pandemic.

Ms Stoltz told a York council committee that she had meetings where hospital staff, GPs and other care providers had spoken of increasing pressure.

She said: "It's winter now in the NHS, in July. We have never known it as bad as this.

"And there is a real fear for what winter will bring, when the health system is so busy now."

She also said staff morale was low, with many off sick due to Covid, stress, mental health and the need to isolate.

The York hospital trust has 150 beds for Covid patients at sites in York and Scarborough

Part of the pressure on York Hospital and GP surgeries stemmed from trying to tackle a backlog of elective procedures, waiting lists and a busier A&E department.

"The Covid data doesn't truly reflect the pressures the hospital is under at the moment," she said.

"Staff morale is very low at the moment. Staff are tired, they are exhausted to be honest, and are quite worried that we are at the beginning of another wave of Covid and the impact that's going to have on the NHS.

"There are large numbers of staff off because they have to self-isolate.

"Government policy is no longer to protect the NHS. The NHS is expected to deal with the backlog of elective procedures as well as dealing with the very real pressures on services."

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Dr Donald Richardson, deputy medical director at York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals, said they were now very busy for non-Covid reasons.

"Everyone is nervous about this third wave that's arriving but we are better placed to manage Covid now."

He said the hospital had more processes in place for testing and isolating any patients who tested positive and the majority of staff had been double vaccinated.

However, he urged people to still be responsible, get vaccinated and practise hands, face ,space to help protect each other and the NHS.