Impact of NHS deficits on patient safety is a resigning issue for Hunt, says head of King’s Fund

England’s health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, should consider resigning because the financial pressures on the NHS are putting patient safety at risk, a leading health policy adviser has said.

Chris Ham, former government health adviser and the head of the King’s Fund think tank, said in an article in the Guardian that Hunt should examine his conscience about whether the improvements in patient safety he instigated can be realised in the NHS’s current financial climate.1

As most trusts are running large deficits, many are looking to cut staff to reduce spending, …