[ad_1]
Downing Street said the government was doing “everything we can” to increase the number of hospital beds available, as winter pressures continued.
Concerns are growing about the current state of public health care, with more than a dozen NHS organizations and ambulance services reporting serious incidents over the festive period.
The British Medical Association (BMA) has accused the government’s “political choices” of leading to “patients dying unnecessarily”.
The Minister of Transport asks the striking workers to leave the sit-in line – the latest political news
In a statement issuing a stark warning, Professor Phil Banfield, chair of the BMA, said: “The current situation in the NHS is unbearable and untenable, both for our patients and the hard-working staff trying desperately to keep up with the hugely high levels of demand.
“The Bahrain Monetary Syndicate has repeatedly called on the government to sit down and talk about the pressures our health services are under, but their silence is deafening.
“It is disingenuous for the Prime Minister to speak of ‘supporting the NHS’ in his New Year’s message, when the Minister for Health fails to discuss how to solve this crisis.”
Professor Banfield also called on the government to “step up and take immediate action” to resolve the crisis.
“The government must fulfill its obligations to the public. It is not true that the cost of resolving this mess cannot be borne by this country,” he said.
“This is a political choice and patients are dying unnecessarily because of this choice.”
But the prime minister’s official spokesperson said on Tuesday that ministers had been “frank” with the public about the pressures the NHS will face this winter, in part due to the backlog from the pandemic.
He also acknowledged that the current pressure on health services represented an “unprecedented challenge”.
2:45 Winter stress explained by the NHS
The spokesperson told reporters, “I think we were up front with the public well before this winter because because of the pandemic and the pressures it puts into the case backlog, this winter is going to be very difficult, and that’s what we’re seeing.”
He continued: “The NHS is already working to increase the number of beds to the maximum, and therefore the equivalent of 7,000 additional beds, in addition to financing the discharges and increasing the virtual wards. This is all to free up capacity.
“Again, this is all thanks to the additional funding, and the billions of extra pounds we have put in.
“We are doing our best to increase the number of beds.”
Opposition parties criticized the government for its inaction in recent days, with the Liberal Democrats calling for Parliament to be summoned to discuss the situation.
Wes Streeting, Labour’s shadow health secretary, accused the Tories of “mismanaging” the NHS.
Speaking yesterday, Mr Streeting said it was “inexplicable” that neither Rishi Sunak nor any of his ministers had offered solutions to the pressures faced by hospitals.
However, Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride insisted the government had “prioritised” the NHS, providing more funding over the next three years and increasing staff numbers.
He avoided accepting the term “crisis” for the health service’s current state, telling reporters, “I accept that we need to make progress. Whatever you call it, we obviously want to be in a better position than we are at the moment.”
Yesterday, the president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, Dr Adrian Boyle, said A&E delays could cause as many as 500 deaths per week.
Asked about the remarks and whether the government had “blood on their hands”, Stride said “I certainly wouldn’t put it that way at all”, saying Dr Boyle’s figures should be viewed “with caution”.
1:11 Doctor describes NHS ‘dismal’
Meanwhile, as the NHS investigation continues, Mr Sunak’s spokesperson said the prime minister’s healthcare arrangements were not in the public interest.
Mr Sunak had previously refused to say whether he had private healthcare.
The Prime Minister’s spokesperson added that it was “completely wrong” to suggest that Mr Sunak was unaware of the challenges facing the health service.
|
Sources 2/ https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMimgFodHRwczovL25ld3Muc2t5LmNvbS9zdG9yeS9ldmVyeXRoaW5nLXBvc3NpYmxlLWlzLWJlaW5nLWRvbmUtYnktbWluaXN0ZXJzLXRvLWluY3JlYXNlLWhvc3BpdGFsLWJlZC1jYXBhY2l0eS1hbWlkLWdyb3dpbmctbmhzLXByZXNzdXJlcy1uby0xMC1zYXlzLTEyNzc5MDg30gGeAWh0dHBzOi8vbmV3cy5za3kuY29tL3N0b3J5L2FtcC9ldmVyeXRoaW5nLXBvc3NpYmxlLWlzLWJlaW5nLWRvbmUtYnktbWluaXN0ZXJzLXRvLWluY3JlYXNlLWhvc3BpdGFsLWJlZC1jYXBhY2l0eS1hbWlkLWdyb3dpbmctbmhzLXByZXNzdXJlcy1uby0xMC1zYXlzLTEyNzc5MDg3?oc=5 The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article |
[ad_2]