Health secretary reports on winter crisis

After two weeks of crisis in the NHS, the health secretary, Frank Dobson, reported to parliament last Monday that the situation seemed to be easing, so long as there were no icy conditions to cause falls and fractures.

“I will not pretend that the NHS everywhere has coped as well as the public is entitled to expect,” Mr Dobson said, although he acknowledged the “huge effort” put in by staff.

He reported sharp increases in flu and flu-like illnesses that under a previous definition …