NHS backlog: Govt failing to get to grips with crisis

Reacting to new statistics which show there are a record 5.7m people in England waiting for hospital treatment - a figure growing by 100,000 a month - Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Health and Social Care Munira Wilson MP said:

"These damning figures show the government is failing to get to grips with the crisis facing the NHS.

"Our health service was already under intolerable pressure before the pandemic, with waiting lists at a record high following years of Conservative neglect. Ministers must ensure there are now enough resources to cope with the difficult winter ahead.

"Urgent action is needed to boost the NHS workforce and make sure patients get the care they deserve. That must include recruiting the extra GPs the Conservatives promised, to take pressure off our hospitals and reduce the record numbers of people going to A&E.