By Charlotte Webster-
Military medics are to assist NHS doctors and nurses with patient care, while general duty personnel will help fill gaps caused by other absences.
The Royal College of Nursing has said the deployment means the government can no longer deny there is a “staffing crisis” within the NHS.
Patricia Marquis, the RCN’s director for England, said: “The prime minister and others can no longer be dismissive of questions about the ability of NHS staff to deliver safe care.
“Once the military has been brought in, where does the government turn next in a bid to ‘ride out’ the wave rather than deal with it?”
17 hospital trusts in England have declared critical incidents – signaling there are fears that priority services cannot be safely delivered.
MPs on the cross-party Health and Social Care Committee warned 5.8 million people are now waiting for treatment – with Conservative MP Jeremy Hunt urging the government to “wake up to the scale of the staffing crisis facing the NHS”.
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.
“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.”
About 1,800 service personnel are already deployed across the UK to support the civil authorities in their response to the pandemic.
They include 313 personnel assisting the Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust and 96 with the Scottish Ambulance Service, while more than 1,000 are helping the vaccine booster programme.
Armed Forces minister James Heappey told Sky News: “London has made a request for support for hospitals that are struggling with winter pressures and Omicron and we’re able to help by sending personnel in to help with both clinical and administrative tasks.
“This will help nursing staff deliver on the wards while soldiers and sailors do some of the other things for them.
“Sailors and medics will be working with doctors and nurses but that’s not new. We’ve been doing that throughout the pandemic with trusts throughout the UK.
“It’s also tried and tested for non-clinical personnel to go into hospitals to do administrative tasks to help wards running well.”