Dr Ranj Singh has given an alarming insight into the state of the NHS hospital he works in as he revealed the staff are at ‘breaking point’ amid the rising number of Covid-19 cases.
When he’s not on TV as This Morning’s resident GP, Ranj works in a children’s intensive care unit for children at a London hospital, with part of the department having been converted to an adult ward for coronavirus patients.
And speaking on the Times Radio on Saturday, Ranj, 41, expressed the gravity of the situation as he told of the shortage of beds and staff pushed to the brink, as he warned ‘Trust me the situation is critical.’
‘Breaking point’: Dr Ranj Singh has given an alarming insight into the state of the NHS hospital he works in as he revealed the staff are at ‘breaking point’ amid the rising number of Covid-19 cases
It was revealed on Friday that there were almost 35,000 Covid patients on hospital wards by January 9, according to figures from the Department of Health, almost twice the level during the darkest days of the first wave.
But Coronavirus patient numbers may have already peaked in almost a seventh of hospitals in England, official figures suggest, while an ICU doctor recently warned care may have to be rationed if admissions continue to surge.
Meanwhile, hospitals in the UK recorded 904 coronavirus deaths on Saturday as the number of fatalities rose 15 per cent on last Saturday – bringing the total to 90,147.
Discussing the impact that the new variant of the virus has had on his own hospital, Ranj told how the intensive care unit is so busy that staff are struggling to provide ‘proper care’ to those who are ‘extremely sick’.
Tough times: Speaking on the Times Radio on Saturday, Ranj, 41, expressed the gravity of the situation as he told of the shortage of beds and staff pushed to the brink, as he warned ‘Trust me the situation is critical’
He went on to explain how this has had a ‘knock on effect’ into other parts of the hospital, with overworked and ‘exhausted’ staff unable to provide services as normal.
He explained: ‘Our intensive care unit is the busiest it’s ever been. And what we need to remember is that we expanded our extensive care unit capacity by over 200% and despite doing that we are still filling up.’
Ranj added to host Hugo Rifkind: ‘What does that mean? It means that firstly we are unable to provide intensive care to those extremely sick people that are coming in with coronavirus that need it but secondly it has a knock on effect on all the other services that we are able to provide.
Work: When he’s not on TV as This Morning’s resident GP, Ranj works in a children’s intensive care unit for children at a London hospital
‘So we are able to provide less and less normal, usual care for all the other things that happen to us.’
The former Strictly Come Dancing star went on to share how much the latest surge in cases has impacted his colleague.
He said: ‘People are already exhausted from the first wave and all the pressure that we had during the course of 2020 and now this second wave is so much worse. They are really at breaking point.’
Ranj then pleaded with the public on behalf of the NHS workers to stick to the rules and follow the government guidelines to protect not only ‘ourselves’ but the ‘NHS’ too.
Busy: Discussing the impact that the new variant of the virus has had on his own hospital, Ranj told how the intensive care unit is so busy that staff are struggling to provide ‘proper care’ to those who are ‘extremely sick’
He went on: ‘I work in a children’s intensive care unit and a section of that unit has been converted into an adult intensive care unit to help out our adult colleagues and trust me the situation is critical.
‘I don’t mean to sound alarmist, I know people will have heard this time and time again but it really, really is bad.’
Ranj’s words comes after he revealed he’s had his first COVID-19 vaccine last week as he urged viewers to get the jab.
The medic was filmed heading to a London hub for the injection as he said it was ‘extra important’ for him to be protected against coronavirus as he continues working on the NHS frontline during the pandemic.
Warning: ‘I don’t mean to sound alarmist, I know people will have heard this time and time again but it really, really is bad’
Speaking to Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary, Dr Ranj urged viewers to ‘listen to the experts’ and get the vaccine as he insisted he felt ‘absolutely fine’ apart from a few minor side effects.
Ranj was filmed heading to a vaccination hub set up on London’s Southbank for frontline workers, as he prepared to have the Oxford vaccine, which began its nationwide roll out earlier this month.
He explained: ‘I’ve already registered and filled out various forms the other day so hopefully this process is going to be quite quick.
Important: Ranj’s words comes after he revealed he’s had his first COVID-19 vaccine last week as he urged viewers to get the jab
Get the jab! Speaking to Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary, Dr Ranj urged viewers to ‘listen to the experts’ and get the vaccine
‘It’s extra important for me to have it because I am from a minority ethnic background and that puts me at slightly higher risk and I’m a frontline worker so it’s really really important that I protect myself, my patients and my colleagues.’
Footage showed Ranj having the injection in his arm, before he said: ‘I’ve had my jab my 15 minutes are over, and I feel absolutely fine. It was so quick and easy and slick.’
Later Ranj filmed himself minutes before going to bed and he once again reassured viewers he hadn’t suffered any major side effects.
He added: ‘I am going to bed feeling reassured that in a few weeks time I’m going to be so much better protected.’
Protected: Ranj was filmed heading to a vaccination hub set up on London’s Southbank for frontline workers
All done! Footage showed Ranj having the injection in his arm, before he said: ‘I’ve had my jab my 15 minutes are over, and I feel absolutely fine. It was so quick and easy and slick’
Ranj then chatted to Alison and Dermot about how he’d felt after getting the vaccine, explaining: ‘I’m good. Other than a little bit of a sore arm, a bit of a headache, and just feeling – you know when you feel like you’re coming down with something?
‘I’ve just got that, nothing else, and that’s totally expected. You get loads of information when you go for your jab about what to expect afterwards and these are common side effects.
‘It’s a sign that your immune system is working, that your immune system is recognising the vaccine and making antibodies and t-cells – this is how you should feel, and it’s temporary.’
The show’s resident GP then addressed viewers’ concerns about the vaccine about whether it could make them ill in the aftermath, explaining he spoke to an expert who put his own doubts at ease.
I felt fine! Ranj explained he didn’t suffer from any significant side effects, apart from a ‘sore arm and a headache’
He continued: ‘Both vaccines [that are approved in the UK] train your immune system to do the same thing, to fight Coronavirus if you encounter it.
‘The priority is to get as many people protected as soon as possible… We have already immunised 1.5 million people in this country – that’s a huge amount of people – and we haven’t seen a huge number of people with significant side effects from it, we get minor side effects.
‘I trust this programme, it is the best line of defence we have and I would encourage everyone to get it if you’re eligible.’
He continued: ‘I listened to the experts. There is no conspiracy there is no fake news, all medical treatments have potential side effects.’
‘I was fine!’ The show’s resident GP addressed viewers’ concerns about the vaccine, insisting the jab is safe