Hunt denies trying to cover up rise in A&E waiting times

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt was forced to deny he is trying to cover up a rise in A&E waiting times, after a delay in publishing the weekly figures.

Labour's Andy Burnham accused the Government of imposing a 'media blackout' on figures at the most critical time of the year, but Hunt insisted the stoppage of the figures was to enable NHS staff to have time off during the holidays.

Political Correspondent Libby Wiener reports.

Labour's shadow health secretary tabled an urgent question to the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt on how Accident and Emergency units in England were coping with winter pressures.

Hunt said A&E attendances are up 5% on last year, and those that do turn up are sicker - meaning emergency admissions are up 6% from last year. Weekly figures on A&E waiting times will not be released for the next few weeks, which Andy Burnham said amounted to a 'news blackout' as current trends show waiting times for patients will only increase during recess - putting vulnerable patients at risk at a critical time.

He added that the figures were not being published to save NHS workers from having to compile them, when they could be having their Christmas holidays, and said the NHS was performing well under an enormous deal of pressure.

Patients' surgeries across the country have been cancelled this week as the NHS struggles with beds not being freed up quickly enough.

Since Monday more than thirty operations have been cancelled at the Royal Shrewsbury hospital, Basildon hospital has been placed on black alert with routine operations cancelled, and a major internal incident has been declared at Gloucestershire Royal leading to it being put on black alert as well.

ITV News Correspondent Nina Nannar reports:

NHS England Medical Director Sir Bruce Keogh today admitted the service is "creaking and under the pressure".

It comes in the wake of South Gloucestershire declaring a major incident on Monday due to 51 patients needing beds at Cheltenham General Hospital and Gloucestershire Royal Hospital.

Sir Bruce said A&E departments are seeing increasing numbers of patients and that ambulance services in parts of the country are also coming under strain.

ITV News' Rebecca Barry reports.

Demand for Accident & Emergency services has already increased by 25% in some areas as the NHS prepares for the annual winter surge in patient numbers.

NHS England chief medical director Sir Bruce Keogh stressed that high expectations from the public and budget cutbacks were also making it more difficult for the system to succeed.

ITV News Political Correspondent Emily Morgan reports:

The Chief Executive of NHS Wales has warned that there is a risk more operations will be cancelled this winter - as the service works to meet demand.

In an interview with ITV Wales, Dr Andrew Goodall said patients who have their operations cancelled should try and understand that this is done 'for the right reasons at that time'.

Accident & Emergency services are already under strain from increased winter demand, the medical director of NHS England has admitted.

"A&Es are having to address increasing demand, the ambulance services are struggling in many parts of the country and we have a number of issues to deal with, which we are tackling," Sir Bruce Keogh said.

Sir Bruce said forward planning meant the NHS should cope better with a spike in demand for Accident & Emergency services this winter.

"We've started to address winter much sooner than in any of the other years," he added.

The chief executive of NHS Wales has warned that high demand on the Welsh NHS during winter can adversely affect services.