Britain's health service in a 'humanitarian crisis': Red Cross
By Kate Holton
LONDON
(Reuters) - Britain's health service is engulfed in a "humanitarian
crisis" that requires the support of the Red Cross to use Land Rovers to
transport patients, the charity said on Saturday.
Founded
in 1948, the National Health Service (NHS) is a source of huge pride
for many Britons who are able to access free care from the cradle to the
grave.
But
tight budgets, an ageing population and increasingly complex medical
needs have left many hospitals struggling during the winter season in
recent years, prompting headlines about patients being left to wait on
trolleys for hours or even days.
The
NHS rejected the Red Cross' description and the Department of Health
said it had injected an additional 400 million pounds ($490 million) to
help with the demand, but the opposition Labour Party called on Prime
Minister Theresa May to do more to tackle the overcrowding.
"This is a national scandal," Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said in a statement.
"We
should not have to rely on the Red Cross to provide the basic care the
people of this country need. I am demanding that the prime minister
comes to the House of Commons on Monday and sets out to the British
people how she plans to fix her failure on the NHS."
May's office declined to comment.
The
row was triggered by a statement on the British Red Cross website, next
to appeals for help in Yemen and Syria, which said it was now "on the
front line, responding to the humanitarian crisis in our hospital and
ambulance services across the country".
Chief
Executive Mike Adamson said the charity was deploying emergency
volunteers and having to call on partner Land Rover to lend vehicles to
transport patients.
The
NHS has always been an emotive issue in Britain - one of the richest
countries in the world - and was once described by a former finance
minister as the "closest thing the English have to a religion".
In
recent years, charities and opposition politicians have warned that
government cuts to social care have resulted in more elderly and
vulnerable patients being treated in hospital rather than at home,
putting a huge burden on the service.
Keith
Willett, a director at NHS England, said the service was not on a par
with a humanitarian crisis but said demand was at its higher level ever
and staff were under pressure.
"Winter
is always a very busy time for the NHS," the Department of Health said.
"To support staff working hard on the frontline we have put in place
comprehensive plans earlier than ever."
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