Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was in Lincolnshire today, as the politician visited medical staff from the county.
Mr Corbyn, who was accompanied by Lincoln MP Karen Lee, first spent time with the East Midlands Ambulance Service at their Lincolnshire headquarters – where the pair spoke to 999 operators.
In a statement, David Williams, General Manager for Lincolnshire said: “The visit started with a conversation about the pressures we have been experiencing over recent months and Jeremy was very complimentary and supportive of the way we have approached this incredibly busy time.
“He thanked all staff for their dedication and hard work.”
This was then followed by Mr Corbyn meeting staff at Lincoln County Hospital – where Ms Lee works shifts as a nurse.
In a post on Twitter, the United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (ULHT) said the politician ‘spoke to staff and patients on the neonatal unit, in A&E and in our heart centre’.
The visit by Mr Corbyn comes after new figures, released today by NHS England, show that over 570 ambulances were delayed by more than 30 minutes at ULHT sites for the week beginning January 8 – up by 82 from the previous week.
Meanwhile, national figures revealed that for the same week (January 8), ambulance delays of more than 30 minutes fell by over 4,000 from the week before to 12,600. Elsewhere, bed occupancy levels decreased by 0.1% to 94.9%, with 85% being the recommended target.
A spokesperson for NHS England said: “Raised levels of flu and norovirus continue to put pressure on busy A&Es and other frontline services but today’s figures show pressures abating somewhat compared to the prior week, and with hospitals generally continuing to cope.”