UK health staffing crisis risks derailing attempts to solve hospital backlog - lawmakers

FILE PHOTO: An ambulance drives past the site of a temporary field hospital in the grounds of St. George's Hospital, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in London, Britain, January 2, 2022. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls

LONDON (Reuters) - Attempts to deal with record waiting lists for hospital treatment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic are at risk of being derailed by a staffing crisis, which is being exacerbated by the Omicron wave, a lawmaker report said on Thursday.

Hospitals are facing extreme pressure as they try to catch up on months of operations that have been delayed and suspended during the pandemic, as COVID-19 hospitalisations rise once more and self-isolation hits staffing levels.