The Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable has waded in to the row over patients waiting in ambulances for admission to hospitals in Kent - claiming it is evidence of a worsening national crisis.

Mr Cable said figures collated by the party showed that 6,000 patients had to wait at least 30 minutes to be transferred to accident and emergency departments in the county so far this winter.

His intervention came as the Prime Minister said thousands of cancelled operations in January were “part of the plan” for coping with pressures on the health service.

She said she wanted cancelled operations to be “reinstated as soon as possible” but added the government was “making sure that those who most urgently need care” secured it quickly.

Mr Cable said “These figures show the NHS crisis in Kent is worsening. Thousands of patients are being left stuck in ambulances outside A&Es while several hospitals are suffering from a severe lack of beds.”

“Every day seems to bring yet more bad news about the state of the health service. The blame for this lies firmly at the government’s door.

“Ministers refused to provide the funding top NHS officials said was necessary and now patients are paying the price.

“It’s time to give the NHS and care the extra cash they desperately need by putting a penny on income tax.”

“These figures show the NHS crisis in Kent is worsening. Thousands of patients are being left stuck in ambulances outside A&Es while several hospitals are suffering from a severe lack of beds.” - Vince Cable

Last week, it emerged that around a third of patients taken to hospitals in Kent over the festive period had to wait more than half an hour outside emergency departments, figures show.

According to the statistics, 3,426 ambulances took patients to accident and emergency hospitals across the county between Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve.

Of those, 857 had to wait between 30 minutes and an hour to be admitted, and 255 had to wait longer than an hour.