Calls for face masks and social distancing to return as NHS battles huge pressure

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

A senior NHS leader is calling for the return of face masks and social distancing as the health service battles soaring pressure. Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, believes action is needed now to curb the spread of coronavirus - with pressures on the health service being a 'serious worry'.

He told the Sunday Times that while no one is arguing for 'draconian lockdown restrictions', there needs to be a rethink over how the country can 'learn to live with this virus' while protecting each other. Mr Hopson said: "There is concern across the NHS that the government doesn’t seem to want to talk about coronavirus anymore.

"But we think we need a proper grown-up national debate about what living with Covid actually means." Mr Hopson believes it is 'vital' that ministers take action as soon as possible.

READ MORE: "Our hearts are broken": Families share emotional tributes as men, 21 and 20, killed in horror crash are named

In a lengthy Twitter thread on Sunday, Mr Hopson outlined 'four big inter-related challenges' facing the NHS - the ongoing impact of Covid, urgent and emergency care pressures, the backlogs and staff shortages. Mr Hopson wrote: “Where’s NHS up to?

"Flat out, doing its best for patients, as ever. But struggling with Covid and impact of long term fault lines. Concerning pressure, despite front line effort.”

He added that in an NHS Providers board meeting last week, health leaders 'agreed this was the longest most sustained period of NHS pressure they had seen in their careers'. He wrote: “Incredibly grateful, yet again, for commitment of staff but… serious worry at the impact that current pressures are having on patients and frontline staff."

On Twitter, Mr Hopson elaborated on how the four