Responding to Care Quality Commission's (CQC) State of Care report, the deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, Saffron Cordery said:

"We welcome this report which highlights the ongoing challenges trusts are facing when working through the backlog of care, and the impact this has had on patient experiences and quality of care.

"We agree that more must be done to tackle health inequalities, which have been exposed and exacerbated by the pandemic, and share the concerns raised about the fragility of the social care sector and its wider impact on the health system.

"Emergency care is also a particular worry. Ambulance leaders have been telling us that demand is significantly rising as we head towards winter and they need more resources.

"It is good to see recognition of how impactful dedicated funding for the discharge to assess model has been during the pandemic, which has supported patients to leave hospital and receive care closer to their homes where appropriate, freeing up capacity within hospitals. But community services are concerned that this important funding is unlikely to continue after March 2022.

"While NHS staff continue to work tirelessly to provide care, the report also echoes our calls that the NHS workforce needs more support and staff need to be rewarded for their work.

"Trusts are keen to work collaboratively across the system to deliver benefits for patients and the wider health and care system, but this will be challenging to do without appropriate resource and funding."