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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Wearing a mask if ill is sensible advice - minister | Wearing a mask if ill is sensible advice - minister |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Asking adults to wear a mask if they have a respiratory infection and need to go out is sensible, ministers say. | Asking adults to wear a mask if they have a respiratory infection and need to go out is sensible, ministers say. |
| Transport Secretary Mark Harper said he fully supported the guidance, issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). | Transport Secretary Mark Harper said he fully supported the guidance, issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). |
| The advice, in place for months in England, was reiterated by the UKHSA as schools and workplaces return after the Christmas break. | The advice, in place for months in England, was reiterated by the UKHSA as schools and workplaces return after the Christmas break. |
| It comes amid mounting pressure on the NHS, partly driven by high rates of Covid and flu. | It comes amid mounting pressure on the NHS, partly driven by high rates of Covid and flu. |
| Mr Harper said he recognised staff were under "tremendous pressure" and the government had offered more resources to the NHS and social care to help services cope. | Mr Harper said he recognised staff were under "tremendous pressure" and the government had offered more resources to the NHS and social care to help services cope. |
| This includes a £500m winter fund targeted at helping hospitals discharge patients who are medically fit to leave but cannot because of a lack of support available in the community. | This includes a £500m winter fund targeted at helping hospitals discharge patients who are medically fit to leave but cannot because of a lack of support available in the community. |
| "I hope these resources are going to help in the coming months to relieve some of the pressure on our hard-worked health and care staff," Mr Harper said. | "I hope these resources are going to help in the coming months to relieve some of the pressure on our hard-worked health and care staff," Mr Harper said. |
| Winter set to be worst for A&E, health leaders warn | Winter set to be worst for A&E, health leaders warn |
| Pressure on the NHS is unsustainable, medics warn | Pressure on the NHS is unsustainable, medics warn |
| It was "sensible" to ask ill adults to wear masks if needed to go out, he said, but best to stay home if possible. | It was "sensible" to ask ill adults to wear masks if needed to go out, he said, but best to stay home if possible. |
| The UKHSA has also asked parents to keep children off school if they have a fever. | The UKHSA has also asked parents to keep children off school if they have a fever. |
| There have been sharp rises in the numbers of people in hospital with Covid and flu in recent weeks - about one in eight beds in England is now occupied by patients with these infections. | There have been sharp rises in the numbers of people in hospital with Covid and flu in recent weeks - about one in eight beds in England is now occupied by patients with these infections. |
| In recent days, a number of hospitals have declared critical incidents, suggesting they cannot function as usual because of extraordinary pressure. | In recent days, a number of hospitals have declared critical incidents, suggesting they cannot function as usual because of extraordinary pressure. |
| Senior doctors have described the NHS as on a knife edge, with some accident and emergency units in a "complete state of crisis". | |
| But Downing Street said the government had been "up front" with the public about the pressure the NHS would face this winter. | |
| The Prime Minister's official spokesman acknowledged that the current pressure on the health service was an "unprecedented challenge". | |
| He said: "I think we are confident we are providing the NHS with the funding it needs - and as we did throughout the pandemic - to deal with these issues." | |
| 'I had to sleep in my car while waiting for an emergency op' | 'I had to sleep in my car while waiting for an emergency op' |
| Having gone to A&E with stomach pain, Michael Woodcock, from Harrogate, was told he needed an emergency operation because his appendix was at risk of bursting. | Having gone to A&E with stomach pain, Michael Woodcock, from Harrogate, was told he needed an emergency operation because his appendix was at risk of bursting. |
| It was late at night and he was booked in for surgery the following day. | |
| But with no beds available, asked nurses whether he could sleep in his car rather than a waiting-room chair. | |
| "I ended up getting some blankets from the nurses and sleeping in the car for a few hours and then heading back into the hospital in the morning for the operation," Mr Woodcock said. | "I ended up getting some blankets from the nurses and sleeping in the car for a few hours and then heading back into the hospital in the morning for the operation," Mr Woodcock said. |
| Labour criticised the government's management of the health service, while the Liberal Democrats called for Parliament to be recalled early. | Labour criticised the government's management of the health service, while the Liberal Democrats called for Parliament to be recalled early. |
| MPs are due back at Westminster next Monday, following their Christmas break. | MPs are due back at Westminster next Monday, following their Christmas break. |
| Prof Phil Banfield, who chairs the British Medical Association, which represents doctors, called on the government to "step up and take immediate action". | Prof Phil Banfield, who chairs the British Medical Association, which represents doctors, called on the government to "step up and take immediate action". |
| The situation was "intolerable and unsustainable", he said, with the NHS's survival on a knife edge and patients needlessly dying because of a political choice. | The situation was "intolerable and unsustainable", he said, with the NHS's survival on a knife edge and patients needlessly dying because of a political choice. |
| Richard Webber, of the College of Paramedics, said the current situation was the worst in his 30-year career. | Richard Webber, of the College of Paramedics, said the current situation was the worst in his 30-year career. |
| Delays were causing patients "significant harm", he said, with ambulance services now struggling to find available crews for cardiac arrests - the highest category of emergency call. | Delays were causing patients "significant harm", he said, with ambulance services now struggling to find available crews for cardiac arrests - the highest category of emergency call. |
| "I've never known anything like it," Mr Webber said. | "I've never known anything like it," Mr Webber said. |
| Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. | Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. |
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