"Safety at risk as A&E units declare crisis" says the front page of the i newspaper. It says emergency departments have been overwhelmed in the run-up to the industrial action. The Independent reports that urgent care services have experienced their highest-ever demand. According to The Times, paramedics believe "the entire system has collapsed" with patients already seeing long wait times for ambulances. Government sources tell the paper that "some progress" has been made in covering for staff, but "contingency plans can only go so far to mitigate the effects of the strike".
The Guardian says that the pay dispute between health unions and the government "looks poised to descend into a bitter and disruptive war of attrition that could go on for months" in what the Financial Times calls Rishi Sunak's "biggest challenge yet". Health Secretary Steve Barclay writes in the Daily Telegraph that bosses have made a "conscious choice to inflict harm on patients". A source close to Mr Barclay tells the Financial Times that "lives could be lost" and "the unions have to take responsibility for that". While the Daily Mail asks: 'How will they live with themselves if people die today?'.
But in its leader column, the Mirror says if anyone does die because of the strike "responsibility will rest with Conservative ministers who have failed to fund the health service adequately". It says NHS staff who were clapped during the pandemic are now being "slapped financially in the face by a callous and incompetent Tory government".
The tabloid papers take aim at the government's warning to avoid "risky activities". The front page of the Sun reads: "Don't use your car, don't go running, don't play sport, don't get drunk, don't have fun." The Daily Star recommends its readers wrap themselves in cotton wool or, it suggests, "we could just give NHS staff a well-deserved pay rise".
The Sun reports that patches made from human stem cells could be used to treat children with genetic heart conditions. It says the cells turn into tissue that can mend holes in young patients' hearts and reduce the need for repeated operations as they get older. The Times reports that the procedure has saved the life of a baby with a congenital heart defect.
The Times also says that a trend that saw people move out of London when Covid restrictions were introduced appears to have been reversed. It reports that searches on the website Rightmove for houses in the capital are the highest since the pandemic began, while searches for Devon and Cornwall fell by almost 20% this year, compared with 2021.
And the i reports that scientists have settled the debate about which biscuits are best for dunking in tea. It says researchers at the University Hospital of Wales found oat biscuits lasted 29 seconds before breaking, while rich tea biscuits crumbled after two.
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