Streeting demands “invisible man” Steve Barclay get grip on ambulance crisis

Wes Streeting has accused Steve Barclay of being the “invisible man” over his lack of response to the ambulance crisis after it was reported that all ten ambulance services in the England were on the highest alert level possible.

The Shadow Health Secretary said: “The Health Secretary was appointed ten days ago but is yet to say anything about the heatwave and unprecedented pressures our emergency services are facing.

“Our health and care services need leadership right now – not the invisible man. Labour would recruit and retain more carers through better pay and conditions, easing pressures on the health service and providing better care for patients.”

In a letter sent to Barclay today, Streeting declared that “12 years of Conservative mismanagement and underfunding” had left the NHS “unable to cope”. He said the current heatwave and surge in Covid cases was putting “additional pressure” on the health service.

He noted that Barclay was “yet to say anything” about the pressures emergency services are facing, despite having held the role of Health Secretary for ten days, and highlighted that Barclay was not present to answer Labour’s urgent question on the crisis on Tuesday.

Health minister Maria Caulfield told MPs on Wednesday that the government had procured a contract for an auxiliary ambulance service to “provide national surge capacity if needed”. Streeting noted in his letter that this contract was yet to be awarded.

He demanded: “Where is the urgency this crisis demands? What are you doing to get ambulance trusts the extra support they need?”

Labour is calling on the government to increase capacity in social care to free up hospital beds, as recommended by the NHS Confederation and the Royal College of Emergency Medicine. Approximately 400,000 delayed discharges take place each month as a result of a lack of care capacity.

In the letter, Streeting told Barclay: “Recruiting and retaining more carers through better pay and conditions would help ease pressures on the health service and provide better care for patients – will you listen to the calls from the RCEM, NHS Confederation and NHS trusts and act now?”

It was reported on Wednesday that all of the ambulance services in England had been put on the highest alert level because of a surge in demand. NHS trusts attributed the increase in demand to staff Covid absences, hot weather and delays handing patients over to Accident and Emergency units.

Ministers are preparing for demand for ambulance services to rise further in the coming week amid warnings of a potentially record-breaking heatwave.

The Met Office has issued a red extreme heat warning for next week for the first time ever. It warned that, in certain areas of England, temperatures may hit levels during which “illness and death may occur among the fit and healthy and not just in high-risk groups”.

Kit Malthouse told BBC Radio 4’s The World at One today: “The key thing we can do is prepare the government services for what may be a surge in demand – not least the health service and elsewhere – but also, critically, communicate that the first line of defence is actually individual behavioural change.”

“People need to take care, do all the stuff they would do when it is very hot – wear a hat, drink water – but critically also the most vulnerable groups – the elderly, those with cardiovascular problems and the very young – that people look out for them and take care,” he added.

Angela Rayner accused ministers on Thursday of “fiddling while Britain boils”, arguing that members of the government are being “consumed with their own party infighting” rather than focusing on the soaring temperatures facing Britons.

Labour’s deputy leader said: “Many working people don’t have air conditioning at work, and we can’t just expect staff to just crack on given the potentially serious – even deadly – implications. Ministers should act now to ensure everyone has the right to work in a safe and healthy environment.”

Below is the full text of the letter to Steve Barclay.

Dear Secretary of State,

Our NHS is in crisis. Every ambulance service is at the highest level alert. Patients are waiting in ambulances for 24 hours outside of A&Es, because hospitals don’t have the beds or staff to admit them. Just over half of patients attending A&E are seen within 4 hours. Stroke and heart attack victims are left waiting an hour for an ambulance, when every minute matters.

The heatwave and surge in Covid cases are putting additional pressure on the NHS, but it is 12 years of Conservative mismanagement and underfunding that has left our health service unable to cope. As the Culture Secretary said, the Conservatives left the NHS “wanting and inadequate” before the pandemic.

You have been Secretary of State for Health and Social Care for ten days now, but you are yet to say anything about the heatwave and unprecedented pressures our emergency services are facing. When I asked an urgent question in the House of Commons on Wednesday, requesting that you give a statement about what the government is doing about this crisis, you failed to turn up. Our health and care services need leadership right now, not the invisible man.

Now that the Met Office has issued a red extreme heat warning, meaning there is a danger to life in parts of England early next week, will you finally act?

Have you spoken to the leaders of all ten ambulance trusts in England? If not, will you do so today? Trusts told reporters yesterday they are not aware of any planned meetings.

On Wednesday, your minister, Maria Caulfield MP, told parliament that the government had secured a contract to provide surge capacity to ambulance trusts. NHS England then confirmed the contract is yet to be awarded. Where is the urgency this crisis demands? What are you doing to get ambulance trusts the extra support they need?

Dr Adrian Boyle, president-elect of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, has highlighted the problems caused by delayed discharges. Around 400,000 times a month, a patient is fit to leave hospital but can’t because the care support isn’t available. More capacity in social care could help patients out of hospital sooner and prevent them needing to go to hospital in the first place, yet care workers are leaving in droves to work at places like Amazon, because the pay and working conditions are better.

NHS trusts I have visited are voluntarily giving up portions of their budgets so more capacity can be built in social care. It takes years to train doctors and nurses, but carers can be put to work much sooner. Recruiting and retaining more carers through better pay and conditions would help ease pressures on the health service and provide better care for patients – will you listen to the calls from the RCEM, NHS Confederation and NHS trusts and act now?

Yours sincerely,

Wes Streeting MP

Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care