Ruth slams Government over long NHS waiting lists

Ruth Cadbury MP has slammed the Government after figures showed that more than 7 million people were waiting for elective care on the NHS.

Speaking in the House of Commons at Health Questions on the 11th July Ruth raised the case of one constituent waiting more than a year for an orthopaedic assessment during which time they were unable to work, and another waiting over 3 years for prostate surgery. Both needed emergency care due to their condition.

Commenting in full after her question Ruth said,

‘‘Too many people locally are having to wait far too long to get the treatment they need on our NHS. People’s lives are putting put on hold and they are being left in agony and limbo because of these delays. With the backlog now rising to over 7 million it’s clear that the Government have failed to give our NHS and its hard-pressed staff the support needed.

This backlog is the sole fault of the Government who even before covid-19 had failed to invest in enough staff, enough beds and enough treatment capacity. Locally we’ve seen the Government even u-turn on rebuilding Charing Cross and St Mary's hospitals. The Government need to be recruiting more doctors, more nurses and more specialists, while ensuring those already trained are valued and supported as so many staff are leaving the NHS.

I will continue to campaign for the Government to cut these huge waiting treatments and ensure people can get the treatment and care they need.’’