Local MPs Mark Lancaster and Iain Stewart have said they are "committed to making sure our hospital has the resources it needs" following the declaration by Milton Keynes Hospital that they are under 'extreme pressure'.
The Hospital announced at 5pm yesterday that patients should only attend in a genuine emergency, with the Hospital opening 'an unprecedented number of escalation beds in order to provide care for acutely unwell patients'.
Local MPs Mark Lancaster and Iain Stewart have told MKFM: "We understand the hospital has been under a lot of pressure in recent days due to an unusually high number of patients seeking emergency medical care. We have been in touch with the Chief Executive and are assured that this is an exceptional and temporary situation due to a prevalence of acute health conditions this winter. We are confident that he and his staff will continue to deal with the pressures.
"The hospital has received an additional £1 million of funding to help cope with winter pressures. We are committed to making sure our hospital has the resources it needs and will continue to lobby for further support."
However, the incident has been blamed on underfunding by the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care on Milton Keynes Council, Cllr Nigel Long.
Mr Long said: "MK Hospital has been consistently under funded by the Government since 2010. In fact MK Council is putting more and more money into the NHS locally. Adult Social Care also works very closely with the Hospital to help older people stay in their own homes and to help older people in Hospital return home as soon as possible. But like the NHS we have been under funded by millions since 2010."
MKFM has contacted Milton Keynes Hospital for further comment and is awaiting a response. However, we have received a number of messages praising the work of the NHS staff under difficult circumstances.
