'I've never known it this busy...sometimes I get home and cry': Paramedic opens up on brutal reality as Covid winter hits
(NWAS) last week declared a Major Incident after a surge in calls led to queues outside A&E departments, while on Monday this week a Twitter warning was released after staff became 'exceptionally busy'.While NWAS insist Mondays are 'traditionally busy', paramedics are reporting growing pressure during their shifts, which are often 12 hours long, compounded by staff absence due to self-isolation, and longer than usual waits outside hospitals because of the sheer numbers of patients on the wards.NWAS told the Manchester Evening News on Wednesday that they have recruited an extra 180 call handlers and support staff since the first wave of the pandemic - with plans to recruit a further 123 this winter, including clinicians to give medical