The UK Government should declare a national NHS major incident to rescue the healthcare system from the current crisis, a senior health official has said.
It would mean all four UK nations would coordinate their response and allocate resources to help meet the overwhelming demand for care that is enveloping many hospitals around the country.
Dr Tim Cooksley, president of the Society for Acute Medicine (SAM), said: “The current situation in urgent and emergency care is shocking. It is in a critical state for patients and it is an extremely difficult for healthcare staff who are unable to deliver the care they want to.
