Speaking to The Daily Telegraph the health secretary, Steve Barclay, has revealed some worrying predictions for the NHS over the winter.

Steve said that it will be a “real sprint to get ready for September” and warned that critical decisions needed to save the NHS including hiring overseas staff could not wait for a new prime minister to be elected.

The winter months bring with them the usual seasonal flu but with another covid wave expected and the rising cost of living, increased demand for all NHS services is expected.

Steve said, “Part of my role is to prepare for reasonable worst case scenarios. Obviously those pressures can come in different forms. It might be you get a bad flu, it may be covid rates are higher than we would expect or like.

“There’s an urgency of now to prepare, particularly in areas where there’s a long lead time. The decisions need to happen now, not wait until the autumn – by which time those lead times would put the resolution at too late a stage.”

Author: