New report predicts NHS will struggle during winter

The NHS is likely to struggle with the additional pressures it will face during the winter months, according to a new report.

New analysis by the Nuffield Trust has indicated that just 3.6 percent of patients took up over one-third of all bed capacity in acute hospitals in England last year, with these individuals often being frail or elderly people who could not be discharged despite their treatment being finished.

This explains why the health service suffered a winter crisis last year, despite receiving record additional funding of almost 700 million pounds from NHS England specifically to deal with pressures caused by winter.

Given that no extra funding for winter is being allocated this year, Nuffield Trust has predicted that the position will be even worse in the coming months, especially as almost all trusts are now in deficit.

Nuffield Trust chief executive Nigel Edwards said: "These figures show exactly why NHS Trusts found it so difficult to meet the four-hour accident and emergency target last winter."