JONATHAN REYNOLDS COLUMN: 'Tories left NHS on its knees'

The NHS is the best of Britain, but, as my inbox attests, the Conservatives have left it on its knees. Our beloved health service is in an absolute state and people in Stalybridge and Hyde are suffering for it. 

Latest figures for our constituency show that 456,139 people are currently waiting for treatment following referral and 214,831 of those have been waiting over 18 weeks.  

Thanks to 14 years of neglect by successive Conservative governments, people across the country are experiencing unacceptable waits for ambulances. 

Unacceptable waits in A&E. Unacceptable difficulties accessing a GP appointment. Unacceptable hours and even days waiting for a call back from NHS 111. Overworked staff, doctors and nurses on their knees; patients left exasperated, occasionally with tragic outcomes. 

As in 1997, it is a Labour government that will make the NHS fit for the future. Tackling the 7.5 million strong national waiting list inherited by the government is a key milestone in the government’s Plan for Change so that the NHS once again meets the 18 week standard for planned treatment. Restoring this standard will mean that people will no longer have to have their lives put on hold. 

This is why this Labour Government’s Elective Reform Plan was published this week by NHS England. It sets out a whole system approach to hitting the 18-week referral to treatment target by the end of this Parliament. This includes opening Community Diagnostic Centres on evenings and weekends so that many more people will be able to access tests and checks while going about their daily lives, and the NHS will also increase the number of surgical hubs, which help protect planned care from the impact of seasonal and other pressures.  

The plan will drive forward progress on the government’s first steps commitment to deliver 2 million extra appointments in its first year, equivalent to 40,000 every week. The reforms will put patients first, harness technology to support staff and help the NHS to do things more efficiently. Under the plan, 65% of patients will be treated within 18 weeks by the end of next year. Based on the size of the current waiting list, that would mean a fall of more than 450k people waiting more than 18 weeks for treatment. 

These reforms mark a next step in delivering this Labour government’s Plan for Change to deliver for people in places like Stalybridge, Hyde, Mossley, Longdendale and Dukinfield.