POLITICAL interference is not the answer to the growing NHS crisis, Worcester’s MP has said.

Yesterday your Worcester News reported just 75.5 per of patients visiting A&E at Worcestershire Royal Hospital had been treated within four hours, as required by the NHS.

This is just a small part of an emerging national crisis, with several hospitals across the country – including Cheltenham General Hospital and Gloucestershire Royal Hospital – declaring major incidents this week, meaning the health of the entire county was being put at risk.

Despite accusations from Labour that the coalition government was refusing to recognise the scale of the crisis, Worcester’s Conservative MP Robin Walker said there was no easy solution to the problem.

“It is a very challenging time,” he said. “Politicians need to be humble and honest about how hard this is.

“Whenever there‘s a crisis in the NHS there’s always an enormous pressure for politicians to step in and we need to resist that.

“If the answer was just to spend more money that’s what we would do.

“We don’t have a magic solution – we need to work with clinicians to come up with a long-term plan.”

Mr Walker added in the long term increasing funding for GPs and community services would help take the pressure off A&E.

Labour’s Parliamentary candidate for Worcester Cllr Joy Squires said the problem had been exacerbated by last year’s closure of Worcester’s walk-in health centre in Farrier Street and placed the blame for the crisis squarely at the feet of the Conservative party.

“They are failing to meet every target set and putting staff under intolerable strain,” she said.

“A year ago I campaign to keep Worcester walk-in centre open.

“I was right to point out that closing it would lead to more problems at A&E.

“It should never have been closed.”

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust – which runs the Royal along with Kidderminster Hospital and Redditch’s Alexandra Hospital – has said a number of measures are being put in place to deal with the problem.

David Cameron and Ed Miliband clashed over the crisis at todays’s Prime Minister’s Questions.

The Labour leader claimed Mr Cameron was “blaming the patients” for the issue, while the Prime Minister accused Mr Miliband of a using the situation to score political points, calling his behaviour “disgusting”.

Although the Prime Minister has admitted the NHS is under "pressure", he has not used the word "crisis" to describe the situation, leading to accusations from Labour that he is in denial about the scale of the issue.

NHS chief executive Simon Stephens has said the organisation will need an extra £8 billion of government cash by 2021.

Alternatives to A&E in Worcestershire include the Minor Injury Units in Malvern, Evesham, Kidderminster, Tenbury and Bromsgrove, which are able to deal with conditions including broken bones, wounds, cuts, bruises and grazes. The units in Kidderminster and Tebury are open 24 hours a day and waiting times are often significantly shorter than at A&E.

Pharmacists and GPs are also able to offer advice and medication, while free guidance is available 24 hours a day from NHS 111.

PATIENT PRAISES WORCESTERSHIRE ROYAL STAFF

WHILE hospitals across the country come under fire for missing waiting times targets, one Worcestershire patient has heaped praise on the county’s healthcare services.

Following today’s front page story Barbara Evans of Pershore called your Worcester News to say how happy she was with the treatment she had received at Worcestershire Royal Hospital.

The 75-year-old said she had visited the hospital last week for a clinic and was delighted by how quickly she had been seen.

“When I arrived at the clinic I was gobsmacked because the nurse said I was their first patient and asked if I would like a cup of coffee,” she said.

“Another asked me if they could take my coat.

“The consultant I saw was so thorough and genuine.

“I told him I genuinely felt like they cared and he said ‘of course we do’.”

Mrs Evans added she had been delighted by how quickly the hospital was able to book her back in for a follow-up appointment.

“So when I saw the news it made me a bit depressed because these staff are really working hard,” she said.

“They say A&E can’t function but so many of the people at A&E shouldn’t be there. I sat next to someone who had a cut finger.

“We are so lucky in this country

“I’ve travelled a lot and nowhere else in the world has anything like the NHS, apart from Norway where the system is excellent.”