Rishi holds emergency health summit to take 'bold action'

PM WANTS END TO ‘BUSINESS AS USUAL'

- Jonathan Walker and Lucy Johnston

PRIME Minister Rishi Sunak pledged “bold and radical action” as he summoned top figures from the nation’s health and social care services to a Downing Street summit aimed at ending the crisis in the NHS.

He admitted that health workers are facing a “tough time” but insisted there must be an end to “business as usual”, with extra funding accompanied by reforms to get record waiting lists down.

Yesterday’s summit was told that poor performance at a minority of hospitals is contributing to delays.

Those attending the NHS Recovery Forum at Number 10 included Chief Medical Officer Sir Chris Whitty and NHS England CEO Amanda Pritchard, alongside hospital bosses from across the country and representatives of local councils providing social care.

Senior doctors have warned the NHS is on a knife-edge, with A&E units struggling to keep up with demand and ambulance services declaring critical incidents.

The Prime Minister has made cutting NHS waiting lists one of his five key pledges to the nation, after they reached 7.2 million.

Ambulance delays outside hospitals have climbed to new highs with more than a quarter of patients waiting over an hour to be handed to A&E.

The Government is providing an additional £14.1billion to the NHS and social care over the next two years but Mr Sunak told health leaders that more money is not enough on its own.