Lancashire health bosses meet to try and find a way forward for NHS to recover from covid
It's after stats show a record breaking 5.6 million people in England are waiting for hospital treatment
Health experts from around the country are meeting up later to try and find a way for the NHS to recover from covid.
The meeting by the British Medical Association will focus on dealing with the backlog of care.
It's after stats show a record breaking 5.6 million people in England are waiting for hospital treatment.
David Wrigley is a GP in Lancashire and deputy chair of the BMA, he said: "We've got far fewer numbers of doctors per head, in fact we're the second lowest in Europe on the doctor to patient ratio...so that show's you the problem we have in getting through the pandemic and trying to get on top of all the other problems and issues that patients have.
"It's a huge task and it's only going to increase as time goes by so this is why it's important to talk about this."
The doctor said politicians need to listen about giving the North extra help after being hit so hard by the pandemic: "We do have areas of significant deprivation in the North West and I think that's been shown throughout the pandemic and those are parts of the population that have suffered.
"It is vital parts of the country are not forgotten about and it's not all about London and large cities...there are areas in the North that do need significant investment in public services and the staff to ensure we can look after them."