Unless the government provides the NHS with emergency funding, its winter crisis will become terminal, argues Martin Edobor

Over the last few days, our National Health Service has been tested to its limits, as the winter crisis has become a national emergency. Accident and emergency departments around the country are experiencing a huge amount of strain, with the BBC reporting that almost a quarter of patients attending A&E had to wait longer than four hours, with just one hospital in the whole country reaching its target.

The four-hour waiting time target was established by the last Labour government and provided an objective measure of standards in A&E. The target required that 95 per cent of patients admitted to A&E departments should be seen by a doctor within four hours. However, in recent years this target has been missed as the NHS is now buckling under unprecedented pressure.

After a long absence the secretary of state for health, Jeremy Hunt resurfaced earlier this week, and rather than put forward the government plan he tried to avoid taking responsibility. Hunt attempted to reclassify the NHS four-hour A&E target, arguing that the target should not include all medical conditions,

Despite Hunt’s later U-turn on his comments, it is clear that the government lacks any real plan or commitment to improve the NHS. Our prime minister, Theresa May, has blamed everyone from doctors to the elderly, and even Sir Simon Stevens, the head of NHS England.

To add to this, 20 Hospitals have declared the status of black alert, where they could not guarantee the safety of patients nor provide normal services. In order to meet demands, hospitals are canceling elective operations and closing wards.

The Labour party response, led by Jon Ashworth, shadow secretary of state for health is beyond reproach. Ashworth has continued to place pressure on the government to respond to the deepening crisis, with a strong performance at the dispatch box on Monday.

A toxic combination of chronic staff shortages, underfunding and a lack of social care has contributed to the current crisis. In order to help alleviate the situation, the government must announce emergency funds for social care to help to increase the capacity of hospitals and local authorities to process discharges of elderly and vulnerable patients from the hospital.

Second, the government must launch an immediate and wide-ranging review into NHS funding. The seasonal winter crisis is worsening, and the NHS is beginning to experience strain all year round. It is clear more investment is needed, the government must now find the money and plug the funding gap.

Finally, staff shortages are set to worsen, as the morale of junior doctors remains low following Hunt’s botched contract and nurses continue to be overworked and underpaid. The department of health needs to provide a real terms increase in the pay of nurses, allied health professionals and doctors specialising in A&E. This could help in recruitment and retention in these important areas.

Unless the government actively puts forward a set of proposals the correct the long-term funding deficit in adult social care and tackles staff shortages, the winter crisis will become terminal. Our NHS is a national treasure and if we want it maintained we must acknowledge that is under strain.

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Martin Edobor is associate director at the New Century Institute. He tweets at @martinedobor

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