NHS waiting lists rise to new record high as Sunak breaks pledge

EMBARGO: For Immediate Release

Three million people have been waiting longer than the Government’s target of 18 weeks, while 360,498 have been waiting more than a year.

The Liberal Democrats are calling for an NHS rescue plan to relieve the burden on hospitals and bring down waiting lists, including recruiting more GPs to guarantee patients an appointment within a week and raising the minimum wage for care workers to fill the vacancies in social care.

Responding to the figures, Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care Spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said:

“Rishi Sunak’s NHS pledge is already turning out to be yet another broken Conservative promise.

“The Conservatives are letting patients and their loved ones down badly, leaving far too many people waiting in pain for the treatment they need.

“They have let the NHS crisis spiral out of control, failing to deliver the new hospitals they promised and making people wait months or even years for treatment.

“We need an urgent rescue plan for the NHS. If patients could see their GP when they need to or get the care they need at home, it would free up hospital resources to treat people far more quickly.”

ENDS

Notes to editors

The latest Consultant-led Referral to Treatment Waiting Times Data, published today by NHS England, are available here.