Labour has promised to clear the NHS waiting list backlog in England within five years, with Wes Streeting warning that the health service risks becoming “a poor service for poor people” while the wealthy shift to using private care. In an interview with the Guardian, the shadow health secretary said that in another Conservative term the total waiting list in England could grow to 10m cases, with healthcare becoming as degraded as NHS dental services. “I really fear that if Rishi Sunak wins another term, what we’ve seen happen to NHS dentistry – which is a poor service for poor people and everyone else going private – that is what we will see for the whole NHS,” Streeting said.
In one of Labour’s most prominent and ambitious pledges of the election, Streeting and Keir Starmer , the party leader, will use a campaign visit to the West Midlands to promise that the backlog of about 3.2 million people in England now waiting more than 18 weeks for NHS treatment will be cleared within five years. The party has previously set out plans to use more weekend and evening services to create 40,000 extra appointments a week, along with other measures such as expanding staff provision and using capacity from the private health sector.
This is, however, the first time Labour has made such a specific promise on waiting lists. Healthcare analysts said it was a welcome ambition but could prove tricky to meet. Streeting said he was aware of the weight of responsibility to hit the.