Army deployed to London hospitals as PM warned he can no longer dismiss.

Military medics will assist NHS doctors and nurses with patient care, while general duty personnel will help fill gaps caused by other absences.

The Ministry of Defence will provide 40 defence medics and 160 general duty personnel for the next three weeks.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has said the government can no longer be "dismissive" of the staffing crisis the NHS is experiencing.

Patricia Marquis, the RCN's director for England, said: "The prime minister and others can no longer be dismissive of questions about the ability of NHS staff to deliver safe care.

"Once the military has been brought in, where does the government turn next in a bid to 'ride out' the wave rather than deal with it?"

As of Thursday, 17 hospital trusts in England have declared critical incidents.

But earlier this week, Boris Johnson said he hoped England could "ride out" the latest wave of Covid infections.Speaking about the deployment of the army to London hospitals, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: "The men and women of our Armed Forces are once again stepping up to support their dedicated colleagues in the NHS as they work hand-in-hand to protect the nation from COVID-19NHS staffing warnings.

"They have shown their worth time and again throughout this pandemic, whether driving ambulances, administering vaccines or supporting patients in hospital, and they should be proud of their contribution to this truly national effort

Armed Forces minister "London has made a request for support for hospitals that are struggling with winter pressures and Omicron and we're able to help by sending personnel in to help with both clinical and administrative tasks.