Shocking new figures released today reveal the scale of the crisis threatening to unravel the NHS. Overcrowded A&E departments may be causing more than 1,000 deaths every week, while thousands of women suffered due to NHS failures in breast cancer care in County Durham. Among the most startling statistics uncovered today, children as young as five are being admitted to hospital with rotten teeth.
Failures pile pressure on the system
In a mammoth organisation like the NHS, each of these failings has a knock-on effect. If one part breaks down, it piles impossible amounts of pressure on the others. Emergency department bottlenecks, public health failures and unforgivable mistakes are not just signs of an organisation running under pressure, they are signs of dysfunction that threaten to make the whole machine break down.
New health secretary faces huge task
Yvette Cooper is only a few weeks into her new job as health secretary, but she must not underestimate the scale of the task ahead of her. The NHS needs tuning like an engine before it is too late, and Britain needs it now more than ever.
Water firms let off despite failures
In a separate development, water companies were let off with warnings over thousands of failures last year, including blunders that put lives at risk. Figures show sewage pollution is going up, raising questions about the consequences for those responsible.
Best pub honour goes to Tamworth Tap
Meanwhile, congratulations go to all the staff at the Tamworth Tap, today named Britain's best pub. Nice buildings and top-notch beer can make a pub good, but it is the people behind the bar that make one great.
