Labour is committing to keeping key standards for patients in the
NHS and cutting waiting times in order to meet them, Shadow
Health Secretary Wes Streeting announced in a speech today.
The pledge comes after the Government launched a review at the
Autumn Statement which will reportedly recommend cutting national
NHS targets, including the 4-hour A&E waiting time.
Labour's plan for cutting waiting times and meeting key standards
for patients includes:
-
Doubling the number of medical school places, to train 15,000
doctors a year
-
Training 10,000 extra nurses and midwives a year
-
Doubling the number of district nurses qualifying every year
-
Train 5,000 more health visitors
The plans will be paid for by abolishing the non-dom tax status,
which allow people who live and work in Britain to pay their
taxes overseas.
A&E waiting times are the worst on record with 150,000
patients waiting more than four hours in A&E and a record
43,000 patients waiting more than 12 hours every month. The
target for 95% of patients to be seen in less than four hours has
not been met since 2015, although it was consistently met in
years previous to that. Studies show that patients who wait more
than five hours at A&E are at greater risk of death than
patients who are seen more quickly. The President of the Royal
College of Emergency Medicine has estimated that 200 people lost
their lives during one week in November, as a result of delays in
emergency care.
Suspected cancer patients should wait no longer than two months
from receiving an urgent referral to beginning their treatment.
However, this target hasn’t been met for 85% of patients since
2015, despite being routinely hit in the year prior to then. A
father in Bromsgrove passed away before receiving any treatment
for cancer last year, after a month wait for an initial scan and
several cancelled appointments delayed his care.
Last month, Health Minister was asked whether targets on
elective care, A&E waiting times, cancer, and ambulances
would be maintained. He confirmed that only the 18-week referral
to treatment guarantee was safe from review. is expected to publish
interim findings by the end of next week.
Labour is committing to maintaining waiting times standards which
evidence shows are linked to better outcomes for patients, like
ambulance response times, A&E waits, and cancer treatment.
The Party is not committing to keeping all administrative targets
which don’t impact patient care.
In a speech to the IPPR, , Labour's Shadow Health and Social Care
Secretary, said:
“After years of failing to meet the standards that are supposedly
guaranteed to patients, the Government is now looking to water
down or scrap standards altogether. The answer is cutting waiting
times, not cutting standards for patients.
“I won’t expect trusts to begin meeting targets which haven’t
been met for years on day one of a Labour government. But nor
will I pretend they aren’t vital to ensure patients get the care
they need, when they need it. We will keep standards which are
important for keeping patients safe and improving outcomes, and
we will meet them.
“The next Labour government will agree a plan with the NHS to
bring down waiting times to safe and acceptable levels, and begin
working towards them straight away. At the heart of that plan
will be our pledge to train a new generation of doctors and
nurses, paid for by abolishing the non-dom tax status.”
Ends
Notes to editors:
-
Wes Streeting will deliver a speech on health and the economy
at the IPPR's State of Health and Social Care Conference at
2.45pm today
-
‘Targets likely to be scrapped in the war on waste include
the aim of admitting, transferring or discharging 95 per cent
of patients coming into A&E within four hours, which has
not been met since 2015.’ - Daily Mail, 20 November
-
Academic studies have found waits in A&E of more than
five hours are more likely to lead to patients losing their
lives. - BMJ, 18 January
-
A father in Bromsgrove passed away before receiving any
treatment for cancer last year, after a month wait for an
initial scan and several cancelled appointments delayed his
care. - Birmingham Mail, 8
November
-
The President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine has
estimated that 200 people lost their lives during one week in
November, as a result of delays in emergency care. - Guardian, 1 December
-
told peers that only the
18-week treatment guarantee for elective care was certain to
remain, when asked about targets including A&E waits,
cancer, and ambulances - Hansard, 22 November
