, Labour’s Shadow Health
Secretary, responding to latest NHS
performance statistics, said:
"The winter has come early for the NHS with the worst
October on record for trolley waits and almost 140,000 people now
waiting in pain and distress beyond a year for a treatment.
Trolley waits at these levels are unacceptable at the best of
times but in a Covid pandemic when infection control is so
crucial this is dangerous and concerning for patients and
staff.
"Years of underfunding, bed cuts and understaffing left our
NHS exposed when the Coronavirus epidemic hit us.
"It is vital that the upcoming Spending Review delivers the
resources our health and care services need to bring waiting
times down, provide quality Covid care and lead the roll out of a
vaccine.”
Ends
Notes to editors
· 1,267 people spent over 12 hours from
decision to admit to admission (“trolley waits”), the highest
figure since February last year and the worst October on
record
· 66,795 people spent more than 4 hours
waiting from decision to admit to admission (“trolley waits”),
the highest figure since February last year and the worst October
on record
· Just 77.6 per cent of people were seen
within 4 hours in major A&E departments (type 1 A&Es) in
October 2020
· 139,545 people are now waiting over a year
for treatment, the highest number on record and equivalent to 3.2
per cent of all people on the waiting list
· 4.35 million people are on the waiting list
for NHS treatment according to data from September 2020
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/rtt-data-2020-21/#Sep20
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/
