NHS waiting lists risen to 5.1 million – Jonathan Ashworth responds

Jonathan Ashworth MP, Labour’s Shadow Health and Social Care Secretary, responding to statistics showing that NHS waiting lists have risen to 5.1 million, said:

“These waiting times reinforce our call for an NHS rescue plan to deliver the care patients deserve.

“The reality is years of Tory underfunding and cuts across health care left our NHS weakened and exposed entering the pandemic with patients now left waiting even longer in pain and anxiety for treatment.”

Ends

Notes to Editors

• The number of RTT patients waiting to start treatment at the end of April 2021 was 5.1 million patients. Of those, 385,490 patients were waiting more than 52 weeks and over 2600 were waiting over 2 years https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/rtt-data-2020-21/