Press release

Sunday 4th September 2011

For immediate use

As the House of Commons prepares for two days of crucial debates on David Cameron’s hugely unpopular Health and Social Care Bill, new analysis by Shadow Health Secretary John Healey has revealed a 54% increase in the number of people suffering long waits for their diagnosis or treatment.

Research, based on official Department of Health statistics, shows that over 400,000 more people have suffered long NHS waits in the 14 months since David Cameron became Prime Minister when compared with the most recent equivalent 14 month period under Labour.

Since the May 2010 general election, a total of 1.14 million people have waited longer than the target times for treatment, diagnostics and A&E. This is a 401,000 (54%) increase on the equivalent period under Labour and includes:

56,000 more people who waited more than 18 weeks for treatment

60,000 more people who waited more than 6 weeks for diagnostic tests

286,000 more people who waited more than 4 hours in A&E

John Healey MP, Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary said:

"As David Cameron railroads his Health Bill through Parliament, these alarming figures confirm that the NHS is starting to go backwards again under the Tories.

"Labour put record investment into the NHS, and brought waiting times down to an all time low. Now, with little over a year of a Tory-led government, over 400,000 more people have suffered long waits for diagnosis and treatment. So much for David Cameron’s election promise to protect the NHS.

"The impact on patient services of David Cameron wasting millions of pounds on new NHS bureaucracy is becoming all too clear. Instead of railroading his Health Bill through Parliament, the Prime Minister should scrap his plans now and let NHS staff get on with the job of treating and diagnosing patients."

Ends

Editor's notes:

The waiting times statistics are taken from the time series published on the Department of Health website:-

Referral to Treatment Times (18 week target)

Diagnostic waiting times (6 week target)

A&E waiting times (4 hour target)

The figures compare the number of people who waited for their diagnosis or treatment longer than target during the first 14 months of David Cameron’s government with the number who waited longer than target in an equivalent period covering the most recent equivalent period under Labour. All figures relate to completed pathways of diagnosis or treatment.

With A&E figures, the comparable data for May-June 2010 and May-June 2009 is a calculation of two thirds of the respective April-June official quarterly (Q1) figures.

For more information, please contact the Labour Party press office on 020 7783 1393.