Wes Streeting responds to new NHS waiting list figures

Wes Streeting MP, Labour’s Shadow Health and Social Care Secretary, responding to NHS England figures that reveal a record high of 5.98 million people are on NHS waiting lists, said:

“One in every ten people in England are on NHS waiting lists today and the situation is set to get even worse, despite the Tories’ unfair tax rises on working people. Under the Tories we’re paying more and getting less.

“The NHS went into the pandemic with waiting lists at record levels, staff shortages of 100,000 in the health service and 112,000 social care vacancies thanks to a decade of Conservative mismanagement.

“We need a plan to address the staffing shortages in health and social care service, to ensure the timely and quality care that patients deserve.”

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. NHS England figures show 5.98 million people were on NHS waiting lists in October 2021, a new record high.

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/rtt-data-2021-22/

1. The NAO project that waiting lists could reach 12 million by 2025, and that hundreds of thousands of cancer referrals are being missed currently.

https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/NHS-backlogs-and-waiting-times-in-England.pdf