Theresa May has attacked the Red Cross' description of a "humanitarian crisis" in the NHS as "irresponsible and overblown".
Her comments during Prime Minister's Questions were criticised by Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron who warned her she should address the NHS crisis "rather than picking on the Red Cross".
Jeremy Corbyn also accused Mrs May of being in "denial" over the state of the healthcare system. Mrs May acknowledged that there had been a "small number of incidents of unacceptable practice" in the NHS as she sought to defend the Government's handling of problems in the health service.
She insisted that the Government had committed extra money to the NHS.
"We acknowledge that there are pressures on the health service, there are always extra pressures on the NHS in the winter, but we have the added pressures of the ageing population and the growing complex needs of the population," she said.
Mrs May said the Government was standing by the four-hour target for A&E, which says 95 per cent of patients must be dealt with within that time frame, after Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt suggested earlier in the week he may water it down.
That target has not been met by NHS hospitals across England since the summer of 2015.
Amid claims that Mrs May's aides had criticised Simon Stevens, the NHS chief executive, for an "unenthusiastic" response to the current health service crisis, MPs have said he must be given the full public backing of Government.
"We acknowledge that there are pressures on the health service, there are always extra pressures on the NHS in the winter, but we have the added pressures of the ageing population and the growing complex needs of the population," she said.
Mrs May said the Government was standing by the four-hour target for A&E, which says 95 per cent of patients must be dealt with within that time frame, after Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt suggested earlier in the week he may water it down.
That target has not been met by NHS hospitals across England since the summer of 2015.
Amid claims that Mrs May's aides had criticised Simon Stevens, the NHS chief executive, for an "unenthusiastic" response to the current health service crisis, MPs have said he must be given the full public backing of Government.
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