The hot weather has made its mark on the NHS

Responding to the latest NHS performance figures published by NHS England the director of the acute and ambulance network at the NHS Alliance, Matthew Hopkins, said:

"The hot weather has made its mark on the NHS – prompting record demand for care and placing many staff under great strain, working in high temperatures in outdated buildings.

"The response has been truly impressive, with improvements in ambulance response times for serious conditions including heart attacks and strokes, and against the key four-hour waiting time target in A&E.

"This will have made a real difference for many thousands of patients, though very long waits of more than 12 hours remain a real concern.

"Local NHS leaders have told us the exceptional pressures on emergency care and disruption caused by the hot weather have impacted their ability to maintain planned hospital care.

"Despite that they’ve delivered the best elective performance in five years. That is some achievement.

"And alongside this, it’s heartening to see some further progress on NHS productivity, 

"That’s a great credit to NHS leaders and staff working to deliver improved performance, transforming care and making every pound invested in the NHS go further."