NHS waiting lists soar by 400,000 since Sunak made pledge to cut them

EMBARGO: Immediate Release

The Liberal Democrats have slammed Rishi Sunak after figures published today show NHS waiting lists have soared by 400,000 since the Prime Minister pledged to cut them last year.

The latest figures show NHS waiting lists are at 7.61 million, a slight fall on the previous month but up from 7.19 million when Rishi Sunak outlined his pledge to reduce waiting lists last year.

The Liberal Democrats are calling on the Conservative government to reverse real-terms cuts to NHS spending. Figures in the Autumn Statement show the NHS budget has been cut by £3.5 billion (2.1%) in real terms this year, and is set to fall by another £1.3 billion (0.8%) next year. 

Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said:

 “Rishi Sunak promised to cut waiting lists when he made his pledge, instead he cut spending on the NHS. Now one year on, millions are left waiting in pain for the treatment they need and the number has only grown over the last year. 

“It’s unthinkable that Conservative ministers are now planning to slash funding for the NHS further even after all the damage they have caused. We need a general election now to kick this out-of-touch government out of office, fix the NHS and care and get the change the country deserves.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

The statistics can be found here

Real-terms NHS England day-to-day spending in Autumn Statement 2023 (£bn)
 

GDP Deflator from OBR, Economic and Fiscal Outlook, Economy supplementary table 1.7