A HAGLEY doctor is among top physicians who have signed a letter to Prime Minister Theresa May outlining their worries about under-staffing and under-funding in the health service.

Dr David Nicholl is among 49 members of the Council of the Royal College of Physicians who have put their signatures to the letter urging Mrs May to take action and give the NHS the resources it needs to meet the demand.

The letter, written by Professor Jane Dacre – president of the Royal College of Physicians which represents 33,000 doctors and 750 physician associates, says: “Our NHS is underfunded, under-doctored and overstretched.

"The ambulances queuing outside emergency departments are a visual testament to the crisis in social care and the NHS. Our hospitals are over-full, with too few qualified staff, and our primary, community, social care and public health services are struggling or failing to cope.

“Patients are waiting longer on lists, on trolleys, in emergency departments and in their homes for the care they need.

“Pressures in social care are pushing more people into our hospitals and trapping them there for longer. An increasing number of people, although clinically ready to go home, cannot safely leave hospital as the care system is unable to cope. People’s lives are being put at risk or on hold, affecting families across the country.”

Dr Nicholl, a consultant neurologist at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, told the News: “In terms of social care and the impact it's having on the NHS – this is the worst I’ve seen it in my career.”

The letter to the PM goes on to say how the crisis is “demotivating and demoralising the clinical workforce” and that many members of staff are considering leaving the NHS and it adds: “Our members report working in clinical teams stretched too thinly to be as effective as they should be. In our recent survey of doctors in training, seven out of ten reported working on a rota with permanent gaps, and over nine out of ten reported gaps in nursing rotas.”

It states “investment levels are not sufficient to meet current or future patient needs” and says: “ Without urgent investment, the NHS will fail to live up to this responsibility this winter.”

A Department of Health spokesperson said in response: "We know the NHS is facing increasing demand from an ageing population but this makes building a safer healthcare system more urgent, not less.

"Since just last year, we have 3,100 more nurses and 1,600 more doctors.

"We're also joining up health and social care for the first time and investing £10bn to fund the NHS's own plan to transform services and relieve pressure on hospitals.”

The Prime Minister's office has not responded for comment.