Record numbers of 'trolley waits' and 12 hour waits show the Tories have pushed the NHS to the brink

Commenting on the NHS performance statistics for January 2020, which show that the number 'trolley waits' rose to to over 100,000 for the first time, Labour's Shadow Secretary of State for Health Jonathan Ashworth said:

“The NHS remains under considerable strain with over 100,000 people waiting on trolleys and 12 hour waits the highest ever.”

“Years of Tory underfunding, bed cuts and mismanagement have pushed the NHS to the brink.”

“Without funded plans for social care, public health and a credible strategy to recruit the staff needed, patients will continue to languish on trolleys or wait longer in pain and distress for treatment.”

Ends

Notes to editors:

• 100,578 people waited more than 4 hours from decision to admit to admission – “trolley waits” last month. This is the first time this number has been over 100,000.
• 2,846 people waited more than 12 hours from decision to admit to admission, the highest on record.
• The percentage of people waiting more than 4 hours in A&E for January 2020 was 81.7 per cent – the worst performance for a January on record