Weakest patients could be denied NHS care
NHS patients could be denied lifesaving care during a severe coronavirus outbreak in Britain if intensive care units are struggling to cope, senior doctors have warned.
Under a so-called three wise men protocol, three senior consultants in each hospital would be forced to make decisions on rationing care such as ventilators and beds, in the event hospitals were overwhelmed with patients.
The medics spoke out amid frustration over what one said was the government’s dishonest spin that the health service was well prepared for a major pandemic outbreak.
The doctors, from hospitals across England, said the health service’s existing critical care capacity was already overstretched and would crumble under the demands of a pandemic surge in patients who may all need venti...