Exclusive: Chris Hopson says public should expect longer waiting times to continue after second Covid peak
The NHS in England will take “months” to return to normal service after the Covid crisis is finally over, because its workforce is “exhausted and traumatised”, according to a senior hospital trusts boss, who says many staff may quit altogether.
Hundreds of staff members are being denied the chance to decompress after working intensely and seeing huge numbers of patients dying during the brutal second wave, and as a result “very large numbers” will go on long-term sick leave or leave their jobs, said Chris Hopson, the chief executive of NHS Providers.