On the day we report London’s A&E departments facing a crisis some experts are calling the “worst” they have seen, the Government risks giving the impression it is in danger of losing control of the situation. Health minister Steve Barclay appears to be in denial, while Rishi Sunak’s spokesman has refused to accept that the health service is in crisis.
The reality being experienced by Londoners and people across the country who face the indignity — and worse — of waiting for urgent care in the backs of ambulances, or on trolleys, or even on floors tells a different story. We report today that London ambulance crews have lost the equivalent of three and a half months by having to wait to transfer patients into hospital in the week to December 25. That is a rise of 12 per cent compared to just the week before. In November alone, over 7,000 Londoners had to wait over 12 hours even to be admitted to A&E. It is unlikely the figures have improved since as the NHS faces the twin evils of rising Covid cases and a bad flu season. At what point, then, would the Government accept there is a crisis?
