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Hunt: 'Unprecedented demand' on NHS after A&E visits surge

Visits to some A&E departments are up 30% on last year leaving an "unprecedented demand" on hospitals, Jeremy Hunt has revealed.

The Health Secretary also told the House of Commons that the NHS is "committed" to a four-hour waiting time in A&E - but can only guarantee this to those requiring urgent medical care.

Earlier, Mr Hunt denied the NHS is facing a humanitarian crisis, saying "very serious problems" had been limited to "one or two hospitals".

The crisis description from the Red Cross came as two patients died last week in the same A&E department after awaiting treatment on trolleys, with one waiting for 35 hours.

Labour said Mr Hunt is living in "la la land," and urged him to admit the NHS is in a state of "crisis."

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Hunt claims NHS coping 'slightly better' despite crisis talk

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has told ITV News he does not accept the NHS has experienced its worst winter for A&E patients during his tenure.

Mr Hunt, who assumed his role in 2012, said although some hospitals had experienced "very, very severe problems" the vast majority of hospitals were "coping slightly better than this time last year".

A record 140 A&E departments closed in England over December and a third of trusts said they need urgent action to cope with demand for care.

Mr Hunt disputed the closure statistics, saying: "That is not correct. No A&E departments were closed - we had diverts in place."

Having earlier dismissed a claim from the Red Cross that the NHS is facing a humanitarian crisis, Mr Hunt said the public had contributed to overcrowding in hospitals.

"NHS England think that up to 30% of people who use A&Es don't actually need the treatment that is being offered at that hospital," he said.

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Hunt: 'Unprecedented demand' on NHS after A&E visits surge

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