Posted by Health secretary: government making progress on NHS waiting lists in England
Health secretary Victoria Atkins has claimed the government is making progress on waiting lists.
She told listeners to Times Radio:
We’ve seen now for four months in a row a reduction in waiting lists. That is a significant achievement, particularly when it is against the background of industrial action by junior doctors.
We have seen waiting lists fall, we have an unrelenting commitment, determination, to reduce yet further those backlogs and we are seeing progress.
Across the country there are different achievements, across the country different trusts managing to manage their waiting lists and what we are trying to do is spread that good best practice across the country incentivising trusts so that they are dealing with their backlogs but also importantly meeting the targets for people who are entering the system today and next week and so on.
Health is a devolved matter, and the Westminster government is only responsible for the NHS in England. Cutting waiting lists was one of Rishi Sunak’s five key pledges announced in January 2023, and was one of several which he failed to meet. The latest NHS waiting list data is due to be published by NHS England at 9.30am.
Key events
The NHS England data today comes against a backdrop of persistently high waiting lists and public discontent with the service.
At the end of last month, Denis Campbell reported that public satisfaction with the NHS has fallen to its lowest ever level, with long delays to access care the biggest source of deepening frustration, a study has shown.
At the beginning of April, a new estimate suggested almost 14,000 people died needlessly last year in England while waiting in A&E for up to 12 hours.
ONS figures have suggested that the NHS data may be underestimating waiting lists by up to two million people.
Health secretary: government making progress on NHS waiting lists in England
Health secretary Victoria Atkins has claimed the government is making progress on waiting lists.
She told listeners to Times Radio:
We’ve seen now for four months in a row a reduction in waiting lists. That is a significant achievement, particularly when it is against the background of industrial action by junior doctors.
We have seen waiting lists fall, we have an unrelenting commitment, determination, to reduce yet further those backlogs and we are seeing progress.
Across the country there are different achievements, across the country different trusts managing to manage their waiting lists and what we are trying to do is spread that good best practice across the country incentivising trusts so that they are dealing with their backlogs but also importantly meeting the targets for people who are entering the system today and next week and so on.
Health is a devolved matter, and the Westminster government is only responsible for the NHS in England. Cutting waiting lists was one of Rishi Sunak’s five key pledges announced in January 2023, and was one of several which he failed to meet. The latest NHS waiting list data is due to be published by NHS England at 9.30am.
Welcome and opening summary …
Good morning. Health secretary Victoria Atkins has been on the media round today, touting government progress with NHS waiting lists in England. New figures will be published today. More of that in a moment. Here are the headlines …
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