Rishi Sunak calls crunch talks with health leaders to fix NHS crisis

Prime minister calls meeting at No 10 ahead of junior doctors’ strike ballot

Rishi Sunak will hold crunch talks with health leaders in Downing Street today in a bid to resolve the crisis engulfing the NHS.

More than a quarter of ambulance patients waited more than an hour to be admitted to A&E last week as hospitals face one of their most difficult winters in history, exacerbated by a heavy flu season, a spike in Covid cases, and staff and bed shortages.

And junior doctors have now threatened to strike for three consecutive days in March, which would leave emergency wards short of tens of thousands of staff.