Advertisement

  1. National

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."

View all 18 updates ›

'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.

Addressing an urgent question in the House of Commons, the Health Secretary said the NHS had been under "sustained pressure for a number of years."

He warned that a number of factors had lead to the health service facing "unprecedented demand" in recent months.

This included both the number of people over 80 having risen by over 340,000 and life expectancy rising by 12 months within six years.

Hunt also revealed that the Tuesday after Christmas had been the busiest day in the history of the NHS.

More top news