Hertford and Stortford MP Josh Dean welcomes Labour Government’s plan to cut NHS waiting lists
Labour plans to tackle NHS waiting lists have been welcomed by Hertford and Stortford MP Josh Dean.
He said: “For too long, people in our community have faced unnecessary delays; these reforms must deliver on their promise to put patients back in control, ensuring that working families can access the care they deserve without putting their lives on hold.”
The Government has announced up to half a million more appointments are to be made available each year through greater access to community diagnostic centres (CDCs) and new or expanded surgical hubs.
Work has begun on a £14.5m CDC hub at St Margaret’s Hospital in Epping to provide testing for patients from across East Herts and West Essex. Services are also being provided at a supplementary spoke at Herts and Essex Hospital in Bishop’s Stortford.
Greater patient choice over follow-up care and better use of technology to prevent missed appointments also aim to cut waiting times for the 7.5 million people queuing for care.
Key to the Government’s “Plan for Change” is restoring an 18-week standard for planned treatment.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “If the wealthy can choose where and when they are treated, then working-class patients should be able to as well, and this Government will give them that choice.
“Our plan will reform the NHS so patients are fully informed every step of the way through their care, they are given proper choice to go to a different provider for a shorter wait and put in control of their own healthcare.
“This Government’s reform agenda will take the NHS from a one-size-fits-all, top-down, ‘like it or lump it’ service to a modern service that puts patients in the driving seat and treats them on time – delivering on our Plan for Change to drive a decade of national renewal.
“By bringing our analogue NHS into the digital age, we will cut waiting times from 18 months to 18 weeks and give working-class patients the same choice, control and convenience as the wealthy receive.”
Mr Dean said: “I welcome the Prime Minister’s plan for healthcare reform as part of this Government’s Plan for Change, which takes an important step towards addressing the unacceptable waiting list backlogs that have affected so many of our residents in Hertford and Stortford.
“Increasing access to appointments, follow-up care and choice of time, place and provider prioritises timely, patient-centred care for all, by putting the patient at the centre of healthcare and placing the decisions back in their hands.”
