A staggering 7 million people in England are waiting for care – and 45,887 right here in Mansfield and surrounding area. Just 70.1% are seen within 18 weeks, well short of the NHS 92% target.

The Conservatives haven’t just crashed the economy – they are destroying our NHS as well. Ministers cannot blame the pandemic for their failure. NHS waiting lists were already at a then record 4.2m in March 2020 before the pandemic struck – significantly up from 2.5m in 2010. And what’s more, even Conservative Cabinet Ministers accept that under the Tories, ‘pandemic preparation was found wanting and inadequate.’

Responding to the data, a Mansfield Labour spokesperson said,

“The Conservatives have crashed the economy, and with seven million now waiting for care it’s clear they are trashing our NHS as well. The longer the Conservatives are in power, the longer people in Mansfield will have to wait for care.

These aren’t just statistics, these are lives held back, days, weeks and months of pain, worry and discomfort.

“It feels like the whole country is in crisis at the moment – and the people of Mansfield are tired of excuses. Ministers can’t blame the pandemic for the mess they have made of our health service – waiting lists were at record lengths before Covid struck.

“It’s time for change. Twelve years of Conservative rule has left our NHS in crisis and our economy on its knees, but Labour has a plan. The next Labour government will ensure that our health service has the staff, equipment and modern technology to provide the care we need.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

The latest NHS waiting lists data (figures for August 2022) can be found here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/rtt-data-2022-23/

Nadine Dorries, “pandemic preparation was found wanting and inadequate”.

https://www.itv.com/news/2022-06-06/tory-infighting-as-dorries-blames-inadequate-covid-planning-on-jeremy-hunt