Labour has called on the Government to agree and publish the NHS
elective recovery plan, to allow the NHS to begin bringing down
waiting lists of 6 million people – waiting lists already at
record highs before the pandemic began.
The plan was due to be published today, but was delayed late on
Sunday, reportedly by the Treasury. Briefings to the media from
the DHSC suggested the delay was due to tensions between and .
The delay comes as figures from the House of Commons Library
found that 500,000 suspected cancer patients are waiting longer
than the two-week target to see a specialist.
In a letter to the Chancellor and Health and Social Care
Secretary, , Shadow Chancellor, and
, Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social
Care, urged the government not to allow the recovery plan to
become “another cancelled operation”, writing:
“Whatever the internal arguments within the Conservative Party,
you cannot play political games with the NHS while millions of
people wait for care.
“If you allow your party’s chaos and incompetence to paralyse the
Government, it will be NHS patients who pay the price.”
Ends
Notes to editors
- Publication of the elective recovery plan was delayed last
night - Treasury delays NHS recovery plan to reduce record
treatment backlogs | ITV News
- It comes as it was revealed that waiting times for cancer
referral and treatment are at a record high - NHS England waiting
times for cancer referral and treatment at record high
| The Guardian
- NHS waiting times were at record levels before the pandemic
began | New Statesman
Full text of letter from and :
Dear Secretaries of State,
We are writing to urge you to agree and publish the NHS Elective
Care Recovery Plan immediately, so the NHS can begin the work of
bringing down record-high waiting lists – waiting lists
which have been steeply climbing year on year since the
Conservatives came into office in 2010, and were at record levels
before the pandemic began.
The NHS is in desperate need of a plan. One in every nine people
in England are waiting months or even years for care, often in
pain and discomfort. More than 300,000 people have been
waiting over a year. Cancer care is in crisis, with
terrifyingly large numbers of patients waiting longer than they
should to receive vital scans, tests and treatment. More than 1.1
million people are waiting for scans and tests used to diagnose
cancer. Data from the House of Commons library suggests 500,000
patients with suspected cancer will wait longer than the two-week
target to see a specialist this year. When the last Labour
government left office in 2010, less than 20,000 suspected cancer
patients were not seen within two weeks.
The Government’s elective recovery plan was originally due for
December. It was then widely reported that the plan would be
published today, yet was pulled at the last minute. Briefings
from the Department for Health and Social Care suggest the
Treasury put a stop to its publication due to tensions with
Number 10 and a reluctance “to help a Prime Minister it views as
a lame duck and living on borrowed time.” Whatever the internal
arguments within the Conservative Party, you cannot play
political games with the NHS while millions of people wait for
care. On what date is the plan now scheduled for publication?
It was clear that when the Chancellor introduced the rise in
National Insurance contributions, there was no plan to tackle the
NHS backlog, and that there was no plan to tackle the social care
crisis. When it comes to tackling the crisis in our NHS and
social care, Labour have always said that it is those with the
broadest shoulders that should carry the weight.
This latest distraction sends a terrible signal not just to NHS
staff and those worried about their own or their loved ones'
access to healthcare, but to the many working people and
businesses about to be hit by the biggest tax burden in 70 years
come April.
Given the growing cost of living crisis, when will you outline
exactly how this tax hike will benefit the NHS, exactly what the
money will be spent on, and when you expect it to reach the
social care sector?
Given there seems to be a breakdown in communication between the
Prime Minister, the Chancellor and the Health Secretary, when
will you next meet to discuss this pressing issue, and when will
you report back after that meeting to the public on progress and
resolving these disagreements in the best interest of the
NHS?
Treasury sources are quoted in the media attributing the delay to
the need to secure value for money. This is a welcome change from
the past two years, when £8.7 billion was wasted on unusable and
overpriced PPE, billions lost to fraud has been written off, and
contracts were offered to friends of Ministers and donors to the
Conservative Party. However, if this is the reason for the delay,
why was value for money only a last-minute consideration?
The publication of the NHS recovery plan must not become another
cancelled operation. If you allow your party’s chaos and
incompetence to paralyse the Government, it will be NHS patients
who pay the price. We urge you to agree and publish this plan
immediately.
Best wishes,
Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
