MP hits out at Government treatment of the NHS

Oldham West and Royton MP Jim McMahon has slammed the Government after new research from the House of Commons Library served to highlight the severe pressure being placed on the NHS A&E services because of a lack of funding.

The research shows that in 2011, soon after the Tory led coalition inherited the NHS from the last Labour Government, on average less than 3% of patients had to wait more than four hours in A&E.

Fast-forward to 2018 and this average has jumped to a staggering 15%.

Years of sustained underfunding has led to NHS performance figures for A&E being well below the 95% standard, and the worst performance since records began. 

Performance issues being undermined by the Government go beyond A&E too.

The impact of a blanket cancellation of elective operations has seen waiting lists rise by nearly five per cent compared to last year.

The number of patients having to wait more than one year for treatment has now surpassed 2,000 patients for the first time since August 2012.

The number of patients waiting longer than 18 weeks for elective treatment in February 2018 was 454,342.

The 18-week target for planned treatment has now not been met in two years.

The number of long waits for admission to hospital has quadrupled over five years, to 1,700 per day.

Mr McMahon said: “Years of underfunding from the Tories has left the NHS in a critical condition.

"Sadly, I’m not surprised to see that A&E waiting times continue to get worse.

"It’s more proof that the Tories cannot be trusted to look after our NHS.

“We’ve just seen the worst winter crisis on record, we have a huge shortage of healthcare staff, and the minimum legal standards of care which patients are entitled to have been abandoned.

“How bad must things get before this Government take action?

"But if we want a proper remedy, which means long term investment, we must have a Labour government.”