Autumn Crisis Likely In The NHS, Say Experts

Cost of living crisis will further strain ‘creaking’ NHS, say experts

- Nicola Davis

The cost of living crisis will add further strain to an already imperilled NHS this autumn, experts have warned, amid concerns the healthcare crisis could deepen if urgent action is not taken.

Healthcare professionals say the NHS is at risk of a surge in hospital admissions, operations being cancelled en masse, and increasing difficulties over discharging patients if such pressures, potentially combined with a further wave of Covid and a bad flu season, are not tackled.

The warnings come after the health secretary, Steve Barclay, said yesterday that there needed to be a “real sprint” within Whitehall to get ready for September, telling the Telegraph that hospitals were facing “very serious challenges coming down the track in the autumn”.

Julian Tang, a clinical virologist and honorary associate professor in the respiratory sciences department at the University of Leicester, said the cost of living crisis could affect the NHS if people were unable to heat their homes or have adequate food.

“Unless there is a lot of government financial support, I think this winter will be very difficult for a lot of people,” he said, noting the cold can worsen conditions from heart disease to chronic lung disease and diabetes, while Covid or flu infections can also aggravate such illnesses.