The Royal College of Physicians has responded to the National Audit Office report which reveals that the NHS has not met key operational standards for unplanned or urgent care since before the pandemic.
Dr Sarah Clarke, president of the Royal College of Physicians, said:
“Without a step change in planning for the health service we are going to turn a crisis into a disaster. This report shows that the NHS wasn’t able to meet its targets before the pandemic, let alone now. More money is being spent, but patient access and experience are worsening. More people than ever are receiving unplanned and urgent care.
"We have been saying it for years and I’ll say it again: we need a fully funded workforce plan, now; we need the prevention of ill health at the heart of government plans, now; and we need investment in more hospital beds and the people to staff them, now.”