MP, Labour’s Shadow
Health and Social Care Secretary, responding to
proposals in the NHS Long Term Plan, said:
“The fact NHS bosses are now proposing significant changes to the
Health and Social Care Act confirms what a wasteful, bureaucratic
disaster it was in the first place.
“Labour have long called for this Act to be binned and will study
legislative proposals carefully. The Tories must apologise for
wasting billions of taxpayers’ money on the privatisation,
constant tendering of contracts, top down reorganisation and
demoralisation of staff this Tory Act ushered in.
"The Tories have spent nine years running down the NHS, imposing
the biggest cash squeeze in its history, with swingeing cuts to
public health services and the slashing of social care services.
They have failed to recruit and train the staff desperately
needed, leaving our NHS struggling with shortages of over 100,000
staff.
“What’s more, it’s a damning indictment of the impact of Tory
austerity, cuts to public services and rising poverty that the
NHS today admitted that socioeconomic inequality causes £4.8
billion a year in greater numbers of hospitalisations.
“While the aspirations for improving patient care NHS England has
outlined today are welcome, the reality is the NHS will continue
to be held back by cuts and chronic staff shortages. Labour will
give the NHS the funding it needs to provide quality care and
recruit the staff for the future.”
