Andy Burnham MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Health, responding to ITV News reports on NHS pressures, said:

“Doctors should not have to take to the TV screens to get their voices heard but that is what they are having to do under this Government.

"Hospital A&Es have missed this Government’s target for 70 weeks in a row. This should have been ringing alarm bells in the Department of Health months ago but the truth is Ministers failed to listen and act on doctors concerns.

"David Cameron’s abolition of guaranteed access to GP services and undermining of social care has left hospitals under intolerable pressure. He has trapped A&Es in a downward spiral and, as doctors leave in their droves, the problems are only getting worse. As a result, patients are facing a difficult winter of trolley waits and ambulances queues.

"Now that front-line A&E doctors have spoken out in this way, David Cameron can no longer ignore this crisis on his watch. Doctors and patients are crying out for help and he must act now.”