Wes Streeting responds to The Health Foundation's study on NHS waiting lists

Wes Streeting MP, Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, responding to The Health Foundation’s study on NHS waiting lists, said:

"This makes clear that NHS waiting lists would be the highest in history today even without industrial action. It blows out of the water the Conservatives attempts to blame doctors and nurses for the crisis in the NHS. Rishi Sunak’s failure to stop the strikes has only made a terrible situation worse, leaving even more patients waiting in pain and discomfort, unable to live their lives to the full.

"The longer we give the Conservatives, the longer patients wait.

"Labour has a plan to cut waiting lists by getting the NHS working around the clock, delivering 2 million extra appointments a year. We will pay for it by abolishing the non-dom tax status, because patients need treatment more than the wealthiest need a tax break."

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Notes:

For an embargoed copy of the report, please contact The Health Foundation. The report will publish on Friday at https://www.health.org.uk/waiting-list