Jeremy Hunt embarrassed after tweeting graphic showing understaffing at NHS hospital
2 min read
Jeremy Hunt was left red-faced today after tweeting an NHS rota showing serious understaffing at a hospital.
The Health Secretary said the colour-coded table produced by Ipswich Hospital was a “really clever use of technology”.
However he came under fire as a large number of cells on the graphic are coded red to indicate understaffing.
Three wards at the hospital are also described as having a “high” risk rating.
Shadow Health Secretary Jon Ashworth issued a withering response to Mr Hunt’s tweet.
The issue of NHS staffing has come to the fore in recent weeks as accident and emergency departments deal with a winter surge in admissions.
A report in the Guardian at the beginning of the month quoted nurses at Ipswich describing their working routine as "organised chaos",
However it has not yet declared a so-called 'black alert', which occurs when a hospital says it can no longer guarantee patient safety.
Earlier this week Labour released a hard-hitting party political broadcast featuring interviews with frontline NHS staff.
The film shows frontline staff speaking “in their own words” about the trial of juggling jobs while others felt they had to quit their work altogether amid a “crisis” in the health service.
The party claim the video, televised this evening and which features original music by rapper Maverick Sabre and the National Health Singers, allows for an “honest portrayal of life in the NHS”.
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