Health Secretary Wes Streeting Criticises And Expresses Shame Over NHS Winter Crisis

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has voiced his deep concern and shame over the current state of the NHS this winter. He described witnessing patients in distress, crying, and stuck in corridors as hospitals struggled to manage the overwhelming demand.

Many NHS trusts have declared critical incidents due to the exceptionally high demand in A&E departments. Reports from the NHS indicate that around a dozen hospitals in England faced major incidents at one point on 7 January 2025.

Patients at Royal Liverpool University Hospital have had to wait up to 50 hours in the A&E unit. Hospital officials cited a surge in flu cases and other respiratory illnesses as the cause of the extreme busyness.

Distressing scenes

During a recent visit to an A&E department, Streeting witnessed patients in confusion and distress, some receiving treatment in corridors. He recounted being told that his visit was on a “fairly good day,” which left him questioning the conditions on worse days.

Streeting has vowed to do everything in his power to ensure consistent improvements year-on-year. He acknowledged that it would take time but assured that the Government would soon publish an urgent and emergency reform plan.

Streeting stated.

Unsafe care

Streeting also highlighted the plight of ambulance crews who are forced to bring dying patients to hospitals due to a lack of end-of-life care in the community. “It breaks my heart,” he added.

Critical incidents have been declared in various regions, including the:

The East Midlands Ambulance Service, including Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire, and Lincolnshire, confirmed its first critical incident due to considerable patient demand, hospital pressures, and flooding.

Health officials have insisted people with flu, Covid, norovirus, or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) to keep away from the Royal Cornwall Hospital’s A&E department in Truro. Derriford Hospital in Plymouth and Hampshire Hospitals in Basingstoke and Winchester have reported critical incidents due to sustained pressures.

University Hospitals Birmingham and NHS services in Northamptonshire have escalated their status to critical, citing ongoing demand, especially at Northampton and Kettering general hospitals.

Critical incidents enable services to recall staff from leave, suspend non-urgent services, and receive support from nearby hospitals. Although not uncommon at this time of year, NHS bosses have remarked that the first week of 2025 has been particularly challenging due to high flu rates, cold weather, and flooding.

Doctors have described hospitals in Scotland as gridlocked in the middle of a “winter crisis.” Dr. Fiona Hunter from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine commented:

Comment

It is clear that emergency services across the country are facing a crisis in terms of being able to provide appropriate and safe care. Measures will need to be taken by the Government on an urgent basis to resolve these profound and worrying problems.