NHS plight is chilling

SORRY suddenly seems to be the easiest word for Theresa May, who must not be allowed to wriggle out of responsibility for this winter’s NHS crisis.

The blame for delayed ambulance transfers and a month’s worth of cancelled operations lies at her door as Tory underfunding made this disaster inevitable.

Winter crises largely vanished in the Labour era, when NHS spending trebled. But since 2010, our most precious public service has had the longest period of austerity in its history.

Spending that grew at unhealthily low levels while an ageing population and new drugs imposed more pressure was even forecast to fall per head – and the £1.6billion in Philip Hammond’s Budget was less than half the minimum extra of £4billion that NHS chief executive Simon Stevens warned was vital.

May’s PR spin is cold comfort for the terrified sick stuck in ambulances or left at home in pain, their ops scrapped because the PM failed to put sufficient money into the NHS.

We’re sorry too – sorry that May is PM and that the Tories are destroying the NHS.