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Theresa May has apologised for delays to NHS operations, saying she knows it's "difficult", "frustrating" and "disappointing".

The Prime Minister had previously denied the NHS was in crisis saying it was “better prepared for this winter than ever before”.

The NHS was forced to enact emergency measures after hospitals failed to keep up with the high demand.

This included cancelling an estimated 55,000 operations such as hip replacements were axed until February.

Jeremy Corbyn said it was not 'good enough' when the 'Tory Government has caused this crisis'.

He tweeted: "Nurses, doctors and patients are pleading with her to properly fund our health service, but she is ignoring them."

An emergency panel announced the updated order on Tuesday, which also gave permission to defer follow-ups and use mixed wards.

(Image: REUTERS)

Bosses hope the drastic move to cancel pre-planned operations and routine outpatient appointments will help to ease the winter crisis.

At least 16 NHS trusts with A&E units have been put on the highest level of alert.

It also followed new figures released on Thursday which revealed that delays in ambulances delivering patients to A&E departments in England had reached their highest level of the winter, as those waiting more than an hour nearly doubled in a week.

The NHS England statistics laid bare the pressures experienced by the health service between Christmas Day and New Year's Eve, including unprecedented demand on its 111 hotline.

(Image: PA)

A weekly operational update showed that 4,734 emergency patients suffered long waits to be seen in A&E, soaring from 2,413 people in the week before.

A total of 16,893 patients endured ambulance delays of more than 30 minutes over the Christmas stretch - up from 11,852 the previous week to a record high for this winter.

Non-emergency calls to the NHS hotline reached a record high in the week ending December 31, the latest data shows.

Calls to the 111 service shot up 21% on the previous week to 480,400 - the most received in a single week since it was created

But today Theresa May visited one of the hospitals that hasn't been affected.

(Image: REUTERS)

Frimley Park hospital in Surrey has told patients to attend their appointments unless they have been told otherwise.

A spokesman for Frimley Park Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said: "We are not currently cancelling non-emergency operations or outpatient clinics at Frimley Park Hospital.

"A message has been put on our website asking patients to attend their appointments as planned unless they hear directly from the trust.

"It has also been communicated via our social media sites, Facebook and Twitter.

"We are asking patients to attend their appointments as planned unless they hear directly from the trust.

"Should the need for any cancellation arise, we will contact individual patients direct."