Overstretched hospitals face winter flu crisis, doctors warn

A&E departments risk ‘grinding to a halt’ as number of patients waiting more than 12 hours for treatment soarsEmergency departments risk “grinding to a halt” this winter, say medical leaders. They warn that the number of patients facing long waits for treatment is likely to hit record levels.Dr Taj Hassan, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said staff were dangerously overstretched, as NHS figures showed the number of people waiting more than 12 hou