With Kent’s hospitals gripped by a winter flu crisis putting further strain on overwhelmed health services, the government is being urged to take action.

Here’s what MPs in the county have to say about the ongoing pressures that have seen 12-hour trolley waits soar to an all-time high…

Polly Billington (Lab) - East Thanet

“Behind these shocking statistics are stories of real suffering, including for the grandmother of a constituent who contacted me the other day who spent two consecutive nights on a trolley in a corridor in A&E because no beds were available.

“The crisis in our A&E departments is the grim consequence of 14 years of Conservative neglect and mismanagement.

“We know that fixing the problems with GP services is one part of the puzzle of relieving pressure on A&E.

“That’s why I am strongly supportive of the proposed new NHS Thanet Integrated Hub in Broadstairs, which will bring together a number of NHS services under one roof.

“That new hub demonstrates the government’s commitment to fixing our NHS, supported as part of the £25.7 billion in new NHS funding announced in the budget – the biggest increase in health spending since Labour was last in government, outside of the pandemic.”

Katie Lam (Con) - Weald of Kent

“I’m desperately worried about the record-high 12-hour waits across Kent.

“In modern Britain, it's shocking that people are genuinely scared they won’t get the care they need in time.

“Of course the NHS was hammered by the pandemic and its aftermath, and local trusts do their best, but the current approach clearly isn’t working.

“The government is already casting doubt on its ability to meet its own A&E targets.

“We urgently need to cut the bureaucracy, streamline patient flow, and ensure resources are focused where they’re needed most.”

Jim Dickson (Lab) - Dartford

"There is no two ways about this – the situation in our hospitals is deeply troubling, shameful, and is a direct hangover from the rundown of our NHS by the Conservatives during their 14 years in power.

"I offer my thanks to staff in hospitals across Kent who are doing their absolute best in what are very difficult conditions.

"I am confident that the measures being put in place by the Labour government and the shortly to be published urgent and emergency reform plan will begin, over time, to make a real difference and I hope that this will include increased capacity in Dartford and across Kent."

Kevin McKenna (Lab) - Sittingbourne and Sheppey

“The inadequate funding for the NHS and social care, along with the disastrous reforms the coalition government brought in over a decade ago, have led to the steady deterioration in the performance of the NHS over the last 14 years.

“Reversing this decline and making sure that the NHS is fit for the mid-21st century is what drove me from being a nurse working in the NHS, seeing every day how bad things had become for patients and staff, to getting involved in politics and becoming an MP.

“That’s why I am not at all surprised by these figures, just six months into the new government beginning its work to turn things around.

“One of the biggest changes after the general election is that there are now many more MPs with frontline experience working in the NHS, knowing what the real problems are and what will and won’t work.

READ OUR SPECIAL REPORT ON THE WINTER CRISIS HERE

“Together we bring a fresh viewpoint and impetus to reforming the NHS and social care, and fixing these long-standing problems.

“That’s why I’m getting stuck into helping shape up our new-year plan to improve the NHS.

“Yes, there are lots of infectious diseases going round this winter, piling extra pressure on an already overworked system.

“It doesn’t help that flu vaccination rates are down, so one thing anyone who hasn’t had the flu vaccine yet who has been recommended they have it can do is get that to protect themselves and their family.

“My former colleagues in the NHS do incredible work and go above and beyond every day to help people, not just in hospitals and GP surgeries. They’ve been holding things together as best they can in the face of chronic mismanagement of the system by the previous government.

“I’m going to keep working over the next few years with the government to make sure they have the resources and the reforms in place to get the NHS back on its feet.”

Lauren Edwards (Lab) - Rochester and Strood

“I am deeply concerned about these statistics for December and have received a number of emails and phone calls from constituents detailing their experiences of struggling to access accident and emergency care in recent weeks.

“I have contacted Medway NHS Foundation Trust on a number of occasions to understand the reasons for delays and raised concerns relating to individual cases.

“I know our NHS colleagues are working hard in extremely challenging circumstances with very high rates of seasonal flu in this winter period.

“The Labour government has made difficult choices in recent months to ensure that we can provide an extra £25.7 billion into the NHS this year and next.

“It will take time but I'm confident that residents will soon see improvements in accident and emergency waiting times and quality of care.

“We have inherited chronic underinvestment in our health services from the previous Conservative government and are urgently fixing it so residents can access the high quality and timely care they deserve and expect.”

Sojan Joseph (Lab) - Ashford

"The recent rise in A&E waiting times, due to the seasonal spikes in flu outbreaks, are a reflection of the long-term after-effects of austerity.

“East Kent hospitals are comparatively overstretched, under-resourced and full to capacity compared to our Medway and south eastern neighbours.

“I will maintain a strong dialogue with the local ICB, NHS Trust, and Department for Health and Social Care to ensure that the issues facing the William Harvey - such as long waiting times are sorted.

“The government's 10-year plan of investment and reform will be central to fixing these local issues."

Rosie Duffield (Ind) - Canterbury

"For many years, East Kent health services have been neglected, severely under-funded and left struggling.

“Our outdated hospital buildings, lack of modern equipment, waiting times on trolleys and staff recruitment and retention issues need to be on the radar of the Department for Health and Social Care in Westminster.

“That's why I asked the Secretary of State this week if he will meet with me and the CEO of East Kent Hopsitals urgently to see for himself how much overdue support we desperately need."

Mike Martin (Lib Dem) - Tunbridge Wells

"In Tunbridge Wells and across Kent an overwhelming number of Covid-19 and flu cases are putting immense pressures on local A&E, which is driving waiting times through the roof.

“Many vulnerable constituents are struggling to get immunised this winter because not a single Covid-19 walk-in vaccination clinic has been opened in Tunbridge Wells. That decision is causing severe problems for our health services.

“I've been working with Kent & Medway ICB on why this is the case and today (Thursday) I wrote a letter urging them to reopen a walk-in vaccination centre in Tunbridge Wells. There is no reason why this cannot happen.

“After years of the previous Conservative government’s neglect of our NHS we have come to expect a 'winter crisis', although this year threatens to be particularly bad. The Health Secretary must produce an emergency plan in the coming days to protect patients from this ongoing disaster.”

Helen Whately (Con) - Faversham and Mid Kent

“People are waiting for far too long in A&E this winter. It’s awful for patients, their families and for the NHS staff trying to care for them.

“Last winter, A&Es across the country did better than the one before. I know this because I was the minister in charge. I made sure we started preparing months before, we increased the number of hospital beds and put extra funding into social care so people could be discharged.

“It wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t the crisis we’re seeing now.

“Labour clearly came into government without a plan for the NHS this winter. Nor do they understand the connection between the NHS and social care, with their budget hitting care homes hard.

“Cutting winter fuel payments won’t have helped either. I’m furious as Labour made so many promises before the election, and all they have done is let people down.

“I urge the government to get a grip of this. They’ve been far too slow but it’s not too late to boost care capacity for the rest of winter and bring down the waits.”

Lauren Sullivan (Lab) - Gravesham

"The NHS has been decimated by 14 years of neglect and underfunding by the previous government. The stats we are seeing on wait times are wholly unacceptable, but a symptom of that neglect.

“I recognise the hard work put in by NHS staff in Gravesham and Kent, often under extreme pressure and in less than ideal circumstances. I am working hard to advocate for these services, and the patients they care for, to get them the support they very clearly need.

“The Health Secretary has emphasised keeping the targets for A&E patients to be seen within four hours, and the government have a plan to free up more routine appointments to give patients access to the right care at the right time - before it becomes critical."

Helen Grant (Con) - Maidstone and Malling

“Long waiting times in A&E are a great concern to us all and I have been in touch with my local NHS Trust of Maidstone & Tunbridge Wells to establish the facts.

“They are in the top five performing Emergency departments in the country for December.

“Year on year they experienced an increase of more than 2,500 patients in their emergency departments in December 2024 when compared to December 2023.

“I think it is worthy of note for readers to know that all patients who attend M&TW NHS Trust’s emergency departments are assessed or triaged and streamed to the appropriate service by a senior clinician within 15 minutes of arrival.

"Once a decision to admit has been made, these patients do not sit within the waiting room, but are monitored in a separate area.

“In December 2024, of those patients requiring admission, 4% waited over 12 hours for a bed to be allocated.

“There is always room for improvement and I will continue to monitor and work with my local Trust to help ensure they have the resources they need to cope with situations such as this.”

Mike Tapp (Lab) - Dover and Deal

“The figures for 12-hour A&E waits in Kent are deeply concerning and reflect the immense pressure our NHS is under, especially during the winter months.

“First and foremost, I want to thank our incredible NHS staff for their tireless dedication and hard work in such challenging circumstances. Their commitment is nothing short of heroic, and they deserve our utmost gratitude.

“I also want to express my deepest sympathy to everyone who has experienced long waits or suffered as a result of the current pressures. No one should fear for their lives while waiting for care, and these stories highlight the urgency of fixing our health system.

“The challenges we see today stem from a system that has been underfunded and overstretched for too long. Labour is committed to addressing this. Since entering government, we’ve invested £26 billion to reform and rebuild the NHS, targeting key areas like A&E and diagnostics is essential.

“A part of this is to ensure patients are treated in 18 weeks, not 18 months – which will ease the winter burden.

“This winter, we’ve taken steps to alleviate some of the pressures, ensuring doctors are not on strike and rolling out more flu vaccines than last year. But as these figures show, there is still so much work to be done.

“I am in ongoing discussions with the CEO of our local trust to understand the specific challenges facing East Kent and ensure they are fed into the government as we drive forward improvements.

“Our NHS is one of our greatest institutions, and we owe it to both patients and staff to deliver the urgent changes needed to restore it to full strength.”

Sir Roger Gale (Con, North Thanet), Laura Trott (Con, Sevenoaks), Tom Tugendhat (Con, Tonbridge), Tony Vaughan (Lab, Folkestone and Hythe), Tristan Osborne (Lab, Chatham and Aylesford) and Naushabah Khan (Lab, Gillingham and Rainham) were contacted for comment.