Parts of the country with the highest number of people out of
work due to ill health will receive priority support to cut NHS
waiting lists, as part of the Labour government's efforts to get
people back to work.
Under the plans, teams of leading clinicians are being sent to
hospitals to roll out their reforms and get patients treated
faster.
Top doctors who have developed new ways of working are delivering
up to 4 times more operations than normal. Operating theatres at
Guys and St Thomas's in London run like a formula one pit stop to
cut time between procedures.
The Health Secretary will announce in his speech to Labour party
conference tomorrow [WEDNESDAY] that the teams are starting with
twenty hospital Trusts in the parts of the country with the
biggest rates of economic inactivity.
2.8 million people are out of work due to ill-health, 500,000
more than in 2019. The Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts
that the bill for sickness and disability benefits will soar by
£30 billion in the next five years, on current trajectories.
NHS waiting lists currently stand at 7.6 million, and were rising
before the general election. 3.1 million have been waiting longer
than 18 weeks for treatment, the maximum amount of time patients
are supposed to wait.
, Health and Social Care Secretary, will say:
“Ending the junior doctor strikes was central to
our commitment to deliver 40,000 more appointments a week to cut
waiting lists.
“But as well as getting staff back to work, we need to get them
working at the top of their game.
“We're sending crack teams of top clinicians to hospitals across
the country to roll out reforms - developed by surgeons – to
treat more patients, and cut waiting lists.
“The first hospitals targeted by these teams will be in areas
with the highest numbers of people off work sick.
“Because our reforms are focused not only on delivering our
health mission but also moving the dial on our growth mission.
“We will take the best of the NHS to the rest of the NHS, get
sick Brits back to health and back to work.
“That's the difference a Labour government makes.”
