Hospitals in London must address a £4billion shortfall by 2020, health leaders have warned.

According to national reports, NHS England says a number of factors are putting pressure on hospitals in the capital and care needs a major overhaul.

Issues affecting London hospitals in particular are said to include:

  • The capital's higher than UK average life expectancy;
  • The rising birth rate and percentage of Londoners aged over 65;
  • Obesity rates among children;
  • The capital's unusually high rate of sexually transmitted diseases.

Hundreds of people marched from Whipps Cross hospital in Leytonstone to Walthasmstow town centre last month in response to concerns raised over how Barts Health Trust, which runs the hospital, plans to tackle its £78m debt.