HOSPITAL bosses have launched an urgent plea for doctors to step forward for 1,200 unfilled shifts in the next ten days.

The appeal was sent out to medics in south Essex as the NHS continues to battle unprecedented demand caused by a huge spike in coronavirus cases.

It came after figures showed hundreds of patients waited more than 30 minutes before entering Southend, Basildon and Broomfield hospitals after arriving in ambulances last week.

A memo sent by the temporary staffing department at the Mid and South Essex Trust, said: “There are a significant number of unfilled shifts through the trust and this is a request to all doctors with any availability/additional availability to consider working.

“There are over 1,200 bank shifts that require filling over the next ten days which the trust [is] looking for your support with.”

National guidance says patients arriving at an emergency department by ambulance must be handed over to the care of A&E staff within 15 minutes.

NHS England figures show of 1,785 patients arrived A&E by ambulance between December 21 and 27 – 162 had to wait between 30 and 60 minutes, and 95 had to wait even longer.

And on Christmas Day, there were 17 unable to be admitted during this time.

Across the trust, there have been 1,057 delays in the past four weeks.

Yesterday, campaigners from Save Southend NHS group warned of a “medical and human tragedy”.

They accused bosses of failing to take steps to increase recruitment back in the summer months.

This was vehemently denied by the hospital.

The spokesman added: “The people of Southend are now suffering the results of poor planning and lack of good management.

“This is a medical and human tragedy right here in Southend and much of this could and should have been avoided by better planning and staffing arrangements.”

A spokesperson for Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust said: “We have been planning for this scenario since the start of the pandemic and are absolutely following all national guidance and protocols, prioritising patient safety and ensuring all our staff have the appropriate PPE.

“Our staff are working incredibly hard to care for all of the patients who need us.

“We would ask our local community to support by following hands, face, space, guidance, and following the tier four rules that are in place across Essex.”

An NHS spokesman said: “NHS staff are now caring for record numbers of seriously ill Covid patients requiring hospital treatment.

“But they are doing so while also caring for substantially more emergency patients with other conditions than were in hospital during the first Covid peak in April.”

HOSPITAL bosses say they have been preparing for the winter wave of Covid for months... as they launched an urgent plea for doctors to step forward for 1,200 unfilled shifts in the next ten days.

New figures also show hundreds of A&E patients waited more than 30 minutes before entering Southend, Basildon and Broomfield hospitals last week.

NHS England figures show of 1,785 patients arrived at Mid and South Essex Trust A&E by ambulance between December 21 and 27 – 162 had to wait between 30 and 60 minutes, and 95 had to wait even longer.

National guidance says patients arriving at an emergency department by ambulance must be handed over to the care of A&E staff within 15 minutes.

The busiest day was December 27, when 74 were waiting at least half an hour.

And on Christmas Day, there were 17 patients unable to be admitted to A&E within this time.

Across the trust, there have been 1,057 delays in the past four weeks.

And yesterday, frontline staff at Southend Hospital warned of a “medical and human tragedy”.

It comes as the trust launched an urgent request for any available doctors to come forward as there are 1,200 unfilled shifts across the three hospitals in the next ten days.

In memo sent by the temporary staffing department at the trust, it said: “There are a significant number of unfilled shifts through the trust and this is a request to all doctors with any availability/additional availability to consider working.

“There are over 1,200 bank shifts that require filling over the next ten days which the trust [is[ looking for your support with.”

A spokesman for Save Southend NHS: “We are disappointed, given that the Mid and South Essex Trust management knew we would face another wave of Covid infections this winter, that they did not take steps to increase recruitment and facilities back in the summer months.

“The people of Southend are now suffering the results of poor planning and lack of good management.

“This is a medical and human tragedy right here in Southend and much of this could and should have been avoided by better planning and staffing arrangements.”

A spokesperson for Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust said: “We have been planning for this scenario since the start of the pandemic and are absolutely following all national guidance and protocols, prioritising patient safety and ensuring all our staff have the appropriate PPE.

“Our staff are working incredibly hard to care for all of the patients who need us.

“We would ask our local community to support by following hands, face, space, guidance, and following the tier four rules that are in place across Essex.”

An NHS spokesman said: “NHS staff are now caring for record numbers of seriously ill Covid patients requiring hospital treatment.

“But they are doing so while also caring for substantially more emergency patients with other conditions than were in hospital during the first covid peak in April.”

“The pandemic has required changes to the way the NHS delivers care, with hospitals having to split services into separate Covid and non-Covid zones, so to protect individual patients some beds and ward bays have to be taken out of use.”