Labour intends to address NHS waiting lists by leveraging the private sector’s spare capacity, according to shadow health secretary Wes Streeting. He revealed plans to add an extra 300,000 appointments, scans, and operations annually in London. This strategy includes utilising private healthcare services to cut down the backlog.
Streeting detailed that the plan involves adding 40,000 appointments, scans, and operations weekly during evenings and weekends. It also includes doubling the number of scanners to speed up diagnosis and implementing the largest staff expansion in NHS history, along with service reforms.
This announcement comes as private hospital admissions reached record highs last year. Data from the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) indicated nearly 900,000 admissions to private hospitals in the UK in 2023, marking the highest number ever recorded.
During a visit to St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, Streeting commented to City A.M. on the NHS’s state after 14 years of Conservative governance. He noted that those who can afford private healthcare are being treated faster, while those who cannot afford it are left behind. He expressed his unwillingness to accept this unfair situation. He emphasised that using spare private sector capacity to reduce NHS waiting lists would be done under NHS terms, ensuring patients do not worry about costs. Streeting mentioned that this approach was previously successful under the last Labour government. While acknowledging the need to build NHS capacity, he pointed out that it takes time and using existing spare capacity is crucial for prioritising patient care.
Labour proposes to fund the £1.3 billion cost of the additional appointments and scanners by cracking down on tax evasion and closing non-dom tax loopholes. Commenting on Nigel Farage’s candidacy in Clacton and the Conservative claim that a vote for Reform is a vote for Labour, Streeting dismissed the notion, stating that a vote for Reform is simply that. He showed no interest in the ongoing conflicts between Rishi Sunak and Farage.
Streeting attributed the Conservatives’ electoral issues to Sunak’s perceived weakness as a leader and the chaotic behaviour of the party in recent years. He expressed his preference for outlining Labour’s plans over commenting on Sunak’s concerns about Farage.
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