NHS crisis: Labour calls for emergency summit to tackle 'unacceptable levels of risk'

 
'Crisis': The NHS has missed its four-hour A&E waiting time target in England with its performance dropping to the lowest level for a decade according to the latest figures (Picture: Bethany Clarke/Getty)

Labour has demanded the Government hold an emergency summit to address the “unacceptable levels of risk” faced by NHS patients.

Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham is urging health, social care, council and emergency services to come together to find ways to ease the pressures on A&E departments struggling to cope with a huge surge in demand.

The crisis has seen several hospital trusts implementing major incident plans, including two serving the capital, with A&E waiting times plummeting to the their worst levels in more than a decade.

Yesterday the David Cameron admitted the NHS was under “pressure” but dismissed claims the services was “on the brink of disaster”.

However Mr Burnham said a co-ordinated plan was urgently needed to address a "rapidly deteriorating position".

Mr Burnham sought to keep up the political pressure over the NHS - which the Opposition has put at the centre of its general election campaigning - after some health professionals warned of a looming crisis.

He has published a letter to Jeremy Hunt accusing the Health Secretary of failing to anticipate the impact of cuts on social care capacity leaving frail elderly people "trapped in hospital" and blaming difficulties getting GP appointments and staff shortages for the delays.

Mr Burnham told ITV's Good Morning Britain (GMB) that health and social care should be brought together as "one budget", saying it did not make sense trying to save money on social care but then spending "thousands" on people who end up in hospital.

He told GMB: "I repeatedly warned throughout this parliament that if you cut social care, if you take away support from older people in their homes, in the end that falls back on the NHS because people end up going into hospital and they become trapped there."

He added: "I think the time has come actually to see them as one budget, not seeing the council (social care) budget and then the NHS budget over here. See them as one budget and start to care for older people very differently. Start in their own homes and support them there."

However, Mr Burnham would not be drawn on whether his party would increase funding if it won May's election.

Yesterday Croydon became the first London hospital to declare a “major internal incident”.

The hospital, which handles more than 1,500 emergency patients each week, said it had taken the measures to ensure the safety of those already receiving care in its department.

In the last week of December it treated 85 per cent of patients attending its main A&E within four hours - 10 points below the NHS target.

By declaring a major incident, hospital bosses are able to bring in extra staff - allowing them to open extra beds to cope with the demand.

Ambulances are likely to be diverted to other hospitals, such as St George’s in Tooting and St Helier. Patients with non-emergency conditions will be asked to seek help from their GP or at a pharmacy.

Croydon North MP Steve Reed said: "Under David Cameron, Croydon’s NHS is facing a crisis. Croydon University Hospital is one of London’s busiest A&E, but they’re now so overwhelmed by surging demand they can’t admit any more patients.

"The Government has created an A&E crisis across Britain and, tragically, it’s now hit our local hospital.

"Similar incidents across the country today show the NHS won’t survive another five years of this Government.”

London North West Healthcare Trust was yesterday on “black” alert, with acute pressure on Northwick Park hospital. In the week ending December 21, it had the worst delays at its main A&Es - treating 53.7 per cent of the most seriously ill patients within the target

Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Queen’s in Romford and King George in Ilford, has been operating at a “significant internal event” level since December 28 — one level short of a major incident.

A spokesman for Croydon Health Services NHS Trust said: "Like a number of NHS hospitals, we are currently seeing a very high number of people in our A&E department, many of who require admission into hospital.

"To increase our capacity we have put in place a series of actions to help meet this increased demand. We plan for a busy winter every year and we have taken this step to make sure we can continue to care for people quickly and safely.

“At no point have we turned away blue-light ambulances.”

“We are bringing our doctors and nurses together in the right places to care for patients and open up more hospital beds. We would urge everyone to only come to A&E or call 999 if you have a genuine emergency."

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