IT IS welcome news from the King’s Fund that the hard work of NHS staff across the country has led to consistent, good-quality care during winter, despite the increased pressure on the NHS.

However, it is incredibly concerning that a considerable proportion of hospitals are facing financial difficulty and will not be able to balance their books without the quality of patient care being affected (“NHS wait soars,” The Press, January 22).

It is also extremely worrying that staff morale is the biggest concern facing hospital managers.

Increasing pressure on the health service, alongside cuts to the NHS budget, has left staff overworked and under-resourced, which is evident in areas such as emergency medicine, which is facing a recruitment and retention crisis.

It is clear that staff morale affects the quality of patient care and it is only right that for patients across York the Government urgently takes steps to understand the root causes of low morale and address issues such as workload, work-life balance and the effects organisational change caused by the NHS reforms are having on staff.

Dr Mark Porter, Chair of Council, British Medical Association, Tavistock Square, London.