The East of England Ambulance Service has declared its highest alert level. Emergency 999 calls have risen past 24,000 a week, well above the autumn average. Hospitals are struggling with handover delays as flu and winter illnesses rise. Crews are stretched, and patients are waiting longer for help. My thoughts are with worried patients and the staff working under this pressure.
This is not only a local issue. Several ambulance trusts across the country are at the same level of escalation. The Health Foundation has warned that winter pressures expose the NHS’s fragility, with flu admissions rising earlier than usual. Unison and GMB unions say staff can’t keep pace with demand without urgent investment in staffing and hospital capacity.
Our health system must rest on three pillars: prevention, capacity and fairness. Prevention means tackling the causes of ill health before they reach a crisis. Capacity means ensuring services have the resources to meet demand. Fairness means care is accessible to everyone. I have called for all of this in Parliament, because without these changes, patients and staff will continue to pay the price each winter.