The Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies, throat lozenges, cough mixtures, and some pain relievers are among the over-the-counter medications in short supply. The industry group warned of shortages of both branded and generic medicines used to treat seasonal illnesses. It comes after the UK Health Security Agency warned that winter illnesses, including flu and COVID-19, continue to circulate at “high levels. Officials have urged sick adults to wear face masks to prevent the spread of infections, while parents have been urged to keep feverish children home from school. Pharmacists were “struggling to obtain the very basic, most common cold and flu medicine,” according to CEO Leyla Hannbeck. It comes as ambulance crews are being urged to conserve oxygen supplies amid fears of a shortage due to the large number of patients suffering from respiratory conditions. After receiving delivery of small oxygen cylinders on Tuesday, the East of England Ambulance Service urged staff to “take sensible steps” to conserve supplies. According to the Health Service Journal (HSJ), the trust informed staff in December that its oxygen suppliers were unable to fulfil its orders. Many ambulances carry several smaller cylinders, but supplies run low if a patient in need of oxygen is not quickly transferred to A&E. While there is no shortage of oxygen, the NHS is seeing significant demand for portable oxygen due to increased numbers of patients suffering from respiratory viruses such as flu and Covid-19,” an NHS spokesperson said. Local areas are using the existing supply as efficiently as possible, while suppliers are working with the NHS to help meet increased demand – anyone needing care should not hesitate to contact the NHS as they normally would.” It comes as NHS managers in one area consider using “field hospitals” to deal with the influx of patients. The use of tents was a “real possibility,” according to Sarah Whiteman, chief medical director of the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board. In an email, she also requested that colleagues sign temporary contracts to work in emergency rooms. The use of tents on hospital grounds, according to the board, is not imminent. Dr Whiteman’s email, obtained by The Sunday Times and seen by the BBC, began with the statement: “Call to arms. It highlighted how busy the acute units in her board’s operational area, which included Bedford, Milton Keynes, Luton, and Dunstable Hospitals. She promised in the message that if employees stepped forward to help colleagues, they would receive training and induction. The region’s hospitals have seen an increase in the number of people presenting with Covid and flu symptoms. Patients with these infections now occupy one in every eight beds in England.
