The NHS is just about holding up, but hard-fought gains cannot be taken for granted

Responding to the latest performance figures from NHS England, the chief executive of the NHS Alliance, Sir Ciarán Devane, said: 
 
"The NHS continues to respond to record demand for care, but the relentless growth in activity is putting NHS staff under real pressure. 
 
"The good news is that the number of patients the NHS continues to treat remains high, with improvements in people being able to access their GP, with better access to GP services and more people receiving elective care this summer than ever before.

"But the relentless rise in demand for local services is placing a huge strain on NHS leaders and staff. There has been no downtime for them as they move from a gruelling summer dominated by heatwaves to what looks set to be another demanding winter. NHS leaders are rightly worried about staff morale given the ask of them is to continue to turn up day in, day out, in the most challenging conditions. 
 
"The NHS is just about holding up, but we must recognise that the hard-fought gains of the last two years cannot be taken for granted.
 
"NHS leaders are having to deliver very challenging savings whilst balancing the need to meet soaring demand for services and stay on top of waiting times. The emerging high levels of flu and respiratory illness alongside high bed occupancy is creating one of the most challenging backdrops going into winter the NHS has seen for a number of years."