No10 blames striking doctors and nurses for ruining NHS hopes of eliminating ... trends now
Striking doctors and nurses have been blamed for the NHS failing to achieve its target of eliminating 18-month waits for care.
A record 7.3 million people were on an NHS waiting list at the end of March – up from 7.2 million in February – of which 10,737 had been waiting more than a year and a half to start routine treatment.
The Government and NHS England set the ambition of ending these waits by April this year, excluding exceptionally complex cases or patients who choose to wait longer.
But the latest data shows this target has been missed, with only 41 per cent of the 10,737 cases falling into those categories.
Health service bosses have been forced to cancel or postpone more than half a million appointments and operations as a result of industrial action since December, including walkouts by junior doctors, nurses, paramedics and physiotherapists.
Workers from the National Health Service (NHS) from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and UNITE the Union on the picket line outside St Thomas' Hospital, London, on May 1, 2023
In January, Rishi Sunak pledged NHS waiting lists would fall and people would get the care they need more quickly.
However, the figures released yesterday show the number in England waiting to start routine hospital treatment has risen to an all-time high.
The Prime Minister’s spokesman said: ‘There will be a focus on the remaining 18-month waits, which are largely impacted by the industrial action into the winter pressures.’ A Department of Health source said: ‘These figures show we are delivering on the Prime Minister’s priority to cut waiting lists so people can get the care they need more quickly.
‘Strikes by some NHS staff have clearly had an impact, with tens of thousands of appointments postponed, so it is welcome that most health unions agreed to accept our generous pay offer earlier this month. We hope unions still in dispute will... decide it is time to end industrial action.’
Tim
