Andy Burnham MP, Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, responding to A&E performance figures from NHS England said:

“A&Es in England have now missed the Government’s A&E target for 80 weeks in a row. But there is still no sign of a plan from David Cameron to turn things around.

"Patients waiting too long for ambulances and too long to be seen in A&E cannot wait any longer for the Prime Minister to get his act together. But, sadly, this Government’s focus is not on patient care but on PR, with hospitals seemingly under pressure to downplay problems for political and reputational reasons.

"Ministers caused this crisis by making it harder to see a GP and cutting home care from vulnerable people. Their failure to act now is leaving thousands of patients exposed to too much risk. The Tory A&E crisis is proof they can’t be trusted with the NHS.

"The Government should implement Labour’s five-point A&E plan and match the commitment to give the NHS an extra £2.5 billion each year for the doctors and nurses it desperately needs.”