The Guardian view on the NHS in peril: the risks are multiplying (29 December 2022)

Summary

Hospitals are crammed full of patients, the staffing crisis in adult social care continues to escalate, and alarming numbers of junior doctors report that they are planning to quit their NHS posts to work abroad. The multiple problems confronting the UK’s health and care system are interconnected and have been years in the making. While the pandemic exacerbated many of them, hugely increasing pressures on staff, political failures and, above all, a lack of investment are making it impossible for the service to stand still this winter – let alone recover. This Guardian Editorial gives its view on the current state of the NHS.