Care to become overcrowded in the Northern Netherlands
Thursday, November 18, 2021
DRACHTEN – The number of infections and the number of admissions of corona patients in the (Northern) Netherlands continues to rise. In the Netherlands there are currently more than 400 Covid patients in the ICU and more than 1,700 in the clinic. In Groningen there are a number of infections and admissions from two coming weeks, threatening to become overcrowded care in the Northern Netherlands.
Compared to previous corona waves, fewer Covid recordings are included in the protective equipment. The cause for the current capacity problem lies mainly in the staff shortage; in hospitals, as well as in ambulance services, general practitioners and in the VVT, the workforce is unprecedentedly high.
What are the activities to keep the pressure on hospitals manageable
All chain partners work together to reduce the influx into the hospitals and increase the outflow from the hospitals. General practitioners provide Covid patients with oxygen treatment at home whenever possible. The Control Room and the ambulance services distribute patients who need urgent care as best as possible across the region. Nursing and care homes are further scaling up the number of available beds in Covid homes. In addition, the COVID capacity will be further scaled up in the Netherlands. Unfortunately, this is at the expense of regular, non-urgent care: operations are postponed. care are doing everything they can to continue critical, non-delayed care. Despite all these decisions, the pressure on healthcare continues.