Sir Keir Starmer has hailed a “milestone” in his plan to repair the NHS as figures present an additional two million appointments have been delivered throughout Labour’s first 5 months in workplace.
New figures printed by NHS England reveal that between July and November 2024, the well being service delivered nearly 2.2 million extra elective care appointments in contrast with the identical interval the earlier yr.
This contains for chemotherapy, radiotherapy, endoscopy, and diagnostic checks, which have been attainable partly due to workers working further weekend and night shifts, the federal government stated.
The Division of Well being and Social Care (DHSC) additionally pointed to the tip of NHS strikes, further flu vaccinations and £1.8bn of funding into elective appointments since Labour took workplace.
The additional appointments come on prime of figures final week exhibiting complete NHS ready lists fell in December for the fourth month in a row – although challenges stay in different areas.
The prime minister stated: “Two million extra NHS appointments and a waiting list on its way down – we’re delivering on our promise to fix the NHS and make sure people get the care they need, when they need it.
“We stated we might flip this round and that is precisely what we’re doing – this milestone is a shot within the arm for our plan to get the NHS again on its ft and reduce ready instances.”
Through the normal election marketing campaign, polls advised the NHS was the second most necessary subject to voters after the economic system.
The additional appointments imply Labour’s manifesto dedication for 2 million a yr was met seven months early.
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Labour have additionally pledged to finish hospital backlogs to satisfy the NHS customary of 92% of sufferers in England ready not than 18 weeks for elective remedy.
The figures final week confirmed the variety of folks ready 18 weeks or extra for elective care has began to fall.
The quantity who’ve been on the record for greater than a yr can also be down.
Total, an estimated 7.46 million remedies have been ready to be carried out on the finish of December in England, down from 7.48 million remedies on the finish of November.
Waits of this size, often indicative of a scarcity of obtainable beds within the hospital, have been nearly non-existent earlier than the pandemic.
The January complete – equal to greater than 15% of all sufferers admitted through A&E – is greater than the overall recorded in over 11 years from August 2010 to October 2021.
There are additionally issues dealing with social care, with a scarcity of availability usually stopping medically match folks from being discharged.
Sir Keir acknowledged there was extra to do, saying “we’re not complacent and we know the job isn’t done”.
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The PM and Wes Streeting go to a hospital in Surrey. Pic: Reuters
Well being Secretary Wes Streeting stated the subsequent steps on the Plan for Change embrace “opening new surgical hubs, community diagnostics centres at evenings and weekends, and using private sector capacity to cut waiting times from 18 months to 18 weeks”.
He added: “We have wasted no time in getting to work to cut NHS waiting times and end the agony of millions of patients suffering uncertainty and pain.
“As a result of we ended the strikes, invested within the NHS, and rolled out reformed methods of working, we’re lastly placing the NHS on the highway to restoration.”
The federal government has additionally introduced a £40m funding pot for trusts that take advantage of enhancements, which will likely be obtainable for hospitals from subsequent yr to spend on capital tasks such repairs to their estates or new tech reminiscent of AI scanners.
Sir Keir has beforehand promised extra funding for trusts who make the quickest enhancements in reducing ready instances but it surely was not clear how a lot.
Extra element on how the funds will likely be allotted will likely be set out “in due course”, the federal government stated.
