Responding to the latest week of winter reporting data, from NHS England and NHS Improvement, the director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, Miriam Deakin said:

"We are concerned about the significant strain NHS trusts are under, particularly in urgent and emergency care.

"The reports of warnings issued yesterday by hospitals and ambulance services highlight just how busy trusts across the country continue to be, despite moving out of the traditionally busier winter months.

"Ambulance services are right at the sharp end, with handover delays of over 60 minutes increasing this week. This means longer ambulance queues outside A&E departments, and vehicles can't get back out into the community swiftly.

"There has also been an increase in the number of people in hospital with COVID-19, and the virus has also impacted staff absence rates which have increased yet again – with now over 70,000 staff absent from work, 41% of which is COVID-related.

"The number of general beds occupied in hospital, as well as critical care beds, both remain steady but continue to be at a very high level, and the number of beds occupied in paediatric intensive care has increased this week.

"Meanwhile, the length of time people stay in hospital has also increased across seven, 14 and 21 day metrics, and are now remarkably higher than the same time last year.

"Delayed discharges also continue to be a real concern, indicating real pressure across the whole health and care system.

"When you combine all of these factors, it adds up to a picture of the NHS running hot. Trust leaders and staff are working tremendously hard to deliver for patients, including recover backlogs of care which were exacerbated during the pandemic, but are making slower progress than they would like given urgent pressures and COVID-19 demand.

"As the new health and care levy sets in this week, we must be realistic about how quickly the NHS can overcome the workforce, capacity and social care faultlines that developed in the 2010s and the further disruption caused by COVID-19."