Hunt denies NHS humanitarian crisis claims

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has denied claims made by the British Red Cross that the NHS is experiencing a ‘humanitarian crisis’ in emergency care.

The crisis description from Mike Adamson, chief at the Red Cross, came as two patients reportedly died last week in the same A&E department after awaiting treatment on trolleys, with one patient waiting for 35 hours. Doctors’ leaders have since warned that more patients could die because of the chaos engulfing the NHS.

Speaking on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Hunt said the problem was less about overall funding than about consistency of provision.

Prime Minister Theresa May acknowledged that there were ‘huge pressures’ on the health service, but said that funding was ‘now at record levels for the NHS’, before suggesting that she will be tackling mental health problems as her next step to improve NHS care.

However, the head of the British Red Cross has defended his statement, saying that ‘we don't say this lightly and we have a duty to say it’. Adams has reiterated that British Red Cross staff were helping out in 20 A&E departments.

Adamson referred to the recent deaths at Worcestershire Royal Hospital as extreme examples, but warned that patients were suffering ‘prolonged physical and mental distress’ on a broad scale, claiming that the charity had a duty to expose a ‘plethora’ of system failures that posed a ‘threat’ to the NHS’ ability to cope with increased demands.