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 Earlier this week, officials at the National Health Service (NHS) in
England recommended that hospitals cancel all non-urgent
appointments and operations until next month.
May, during a visit to a hospital outside London, said she
recognized it is frustrating for patients who had their operations
postponed.
"I know it is difficult, I know it is frustrating, I know it is
disappointing for people and I apologize," she told Sky News.
A flu outbreak, colder weather and high levels of respiratory
illnesses have put hospitals in England under strain with many
operating at or near full capacity.
The issue is potentially damaging for May, already weakened after
losing a parliamentary majority in last year's election and
struggling to pacify her deeply divided party as she navigates the
final year of Brexit negotiations.
The NHS, which delivers free care for all and accounts for a third
of government spending on public services, is typically one of the
most important issues for voters during elections and one which is
often regarded as a weakness for May's Conservative party.
Opposition parties regularly accuse the government of failing to
adequately fund the health service.
"Ministers refused to provide the funding top NHS officials said was
necessary and now patients are paying the price," said Vince Cable,
leader of the Liberal Democrats.
Founded in 1948 by the opposition Labour Party, the NHS is a source
of huge pride for many Britons who are able to access free care from
cradle to grave.
But tight budgets, an aging population and increasingly complex
medical needs have left many hospitals struggling during the winter
in recent years.
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The pressure continues to grow, according to new data on Thursday.
The number of patients stuck in ambulances for at least an hour
almost doubled to more 4,700 cases during the Christmas week
compared with the week before.
Department of Health guidelines say ambulance crews should be able
to hand patients over to hospital staff within 15 minutes of arrival
at hospital.
The average bed occupancy for the Christmas week was 91.7 percent.
Doctors say that anything above 85 percent is unsafe.
The conditions have led some doctors taking to Twitter to vent their
frustrations.
One London-based doctor wrote that conditions were so bad that he
was practicing "battlefield medicine", while another apologized for
the "3rd world conditions" caused by overcrowding.
(Editing by Stephen Addison)
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