UK & Canada Emergency Service Shortages-ARMY Medics Help UK Hospitals

[Ladybbird]

Military Medics Support UK Hospitals


Army sent in to help NHS in London with 200 deployed to help with Omicron crisis

Some 200 armed forces personnel are being made available to hospitals across the capital, which has been the epicentre of the Omicron outbreak with a huge upsurge in cases

Police, Fire, Ambulance Services Across Canada Hit by Staff Shortages Due to COVID-19

Daily Mirror 7 JAN 2022



UK





Some 200 armed forces personnel are being made available to hospitals


Troops are to begin deploying in London to support the NHS amid growing staff shortages due to Covid-19, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said.

Some 200 armed forces personnel are being made available to hospitals across the capital, which has been the epicentre of the Omicron outbreak with a huge upsurge in cases.

The MoD said the deployment includes 40 military medics and 160 general duty personnel to help fill gaps caused by absences due to NHS staff unable to work because they are ill or having to self-isolate.

They will be deployed in 40 teams of five - comprising one medic and four support personnel - and will be targeted at areas where the need is greatest.

It is expected they will be "on task" for the next three weeks.

In addition, 32 military co-responders are being provided to support the South Central Ambulance Service, working alongside paramedics until the end of March.

The announcement comes after Boris Johnson said this week ministers hoped to "ride out" the latest wave without the need for further restrictions in England.




The MoD said the deployment includes 40 military medics


Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: "The men and women of our armed forces are once again stepping up to support their dedicated colleagues in the NHS as they work hand-in-hand to protect the nation from Covid-19.




Troops are to begin deploying in London


"They have shown their worth time and again throughout this pandemic, whether driving ambulances, administering vaccines or supporting patients in hospital, and they should be proud of their contribution to this truly national effort."

However, the Royal College of Nursing's director for England, Patricia Marquis, said the deployment meant the Government could no longer deny there was a "staffing crisis" in the NHS.

"The Prime Minister and others can no longer be dismissive of questions about the ability of NHS staff to deliver safe care," she said.




Around 1,800 service personnel are already deployed across the UK



Canada...

Police, Fire, Ambulance Services Across Canada Hit by Staff Shortages

CBC NEWS 6 January





Emergency services in many major Canadian cities are facing staffing shortages due to a surge in COVID-19 cases across the country, with police, ambulance and fire all scrambling to redeploy and bolster their ranks.



For example, many police services are reporting higher levels of front-line officers away because of illness or isolation caused by COVID-19.

"There's a lot of concern and it is having an impact," said Tom Stamatakis, national president of the Canadian Police Association.


In Winnipeg, the city's police chief announced on Wednesday that he was declaring a "state of emergency" for the Winnipeg Police Service, as it now faces "some real challenges ahead."

"The current COVID-19 situation has significantly impacted our staffing resources," Chief Danny Smyth said in a statement.


Of the roughly 1,900 police service employees, there are currently 90 active COVID-19 cases with 170 personnel on COVID-19-related leave, Smyth said. The state of emergency declaration allows him more leeway in redeployment of officers to shore up the ranks of general patrol.

In Calgary, the police service currently has the highest number of coronavirus infections among employees since the start of the pandemic, said Susan Henry, chief of the Calgary Emergency Management Agency.

"To minimize disruption to emergency services, Calgary police have started to redeploy officers from other areas of the organization to support the front-line workers who are already stretched thin prior to this wave of COVID-19," she said Wednesday.

In Edmonton, Chief Joe Zatylny of Edmonton Fire Rescue Services said yesterday that almost five per cent of the force's front-line firefighters are currently off work because of COVID-19. Zatylny said they will backfill using off-duty staff to make sure "we can meet our core service demands."



UK




Canada...