HASLEMERE MP Jeremy Hunt has denied claims by the British Red Cross that NHS emergency departments are facing a “humanitarian crisis”.

The Health Secretary has admitted that trolley waits are “totally unacceptable” but expressed how hospitals were coping better this winter. The row stems from the death of two patients following long waits on trolleys in hospital corridors at Worcestershire Royal Hospital.

Following the deaths British Red Cross chief executive Mike Adamson, reported his staff were helping out in 20 under-pressure A&E departments and, in an article for The Times, said: “These are people in crisis and in recent weeks we have started talking about this as a humanitarian crisis. We don’t say this lightly and we have a duty to say it.”

But speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme the South West Surrey MP rejected Mr Adamson’s claims, saying: “I don’t want to pretend that we haven’t, at this most difficult time of year for the NHS, had some very serious problems in some hospitals.”

He later added: “But we still have 150 avoidable deaths in our hospitals every week. We still have weekend provision that isn’t as good as it needs to be in some places. We still have children with brain injuries, twice a week, which could have been avoided.

“The truth is we have a paradox. We have some of the safest and best hospitals in the world, some of the best mental health care in the world, but it isn’t consistent. 

“What we want to do is to be able to promise all NHS patients that wherever you go, you’ll be able to access the same high-quality care.”

In another appearance on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Mr Hunt also said the situation had eased significantly and numbers of patients left waiting on trolleys was down to a handful.

Hospitals serving Mr Hunt’s constituency have also felt the pinch this winter, with both Frimley Park and the Royal Surrey hospitals appealing for people to “think very carefully before coming to A&E”.