Heidi Alexander MP, Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, responding to quarter 1 figures showing NHS Trusts are in a deficit of £930m, said:

“It is now clear why these figures weren’t released ahead of Tory party conference – they show an NHS in crisis.

“The alarming deterioration in NHS finances is a direct result of actions this Government has taken.

“Cuts to nurse training places has left the NHS with a shortage of nurses, forcing hospitals to hire expensive agency staff. As Monitor acknowledges, this is the primary cause of the deficit.

“With a difficult winter approaching hospitals are facing a stark choice between balancing the books and delivering safe care.

“Ministers might be in denial, but the fact that in the first three months of this year, NHS trusts are facing a bigger financial hole than that which built up over the whole of last year is a clear sign of how desperate the funding situation has now become.”