Sir Bruce Keogh admits health system is ‘creaking’ and ‘under pressure’

Prof Sir Bruce Keogh, medical director of the NHS, has admitted the National Health Service is ‘creaking’ and ‘under pressure’, at a conference held at the King's Fund on 19 December.

The Urgent and Emergency Care Conference, hosted by the King's Fund, provided an update on progress with the Urgent and Emergency Care Review, as well as exploring the immediate challenges facing urgent and emergency care services.

Prof Chris Ham, chief executive of the King's Fund, opened the event by asking delegates: what kind of urgent and emergency care system do we need in the future? Ham proposed that we need a much more joined up and integrated system than the one that is currently in place.

Prof Sir Bruce Keogh delivered the keynote speech on the future of urgent and emergency services in England, placing an emphasis on the long-term vision for transforming urgent and emergency care. Keogh explained that over the past year there has been a steady and relentless growth in the number of A&E attendances, and in light of reports of additional pressures placed on services during the Winter months, he admitted: