Jonathan
Ashworth MP, Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, responding to the publication of
NHS England’s Next Steps on the NHS Five Year Forward View said:
“NHS
England’s Five Year Forward View update contains welcome ambitions around
mental health and cancer care that Labour endorses. However reading
between the lines this plan confirms that Theresa May’s Government has broken
its promise by failing to give the NHS the funding it needs. The plan admits
the public are ‘concerned’ for the future of the NHS and that the health
service is under ‘real pressure’ to cope with rising demand within the current
spending envelope.
“Labour has warned repeatedly that the NHS funding squeeze imposed by the
Government is damaging standards of patient care. Now the Forward View confirms
that the main 4 hour A&E target won’t be met for at least the next year.
Waiting lists are growing as a direct result of the financial crisis. The
collapse in standards in the past year has been nothing short of astonishing.
“What’s more the plan confirms more and more rationing of treatments is taking
place across the NHS.
“One
of the biggest problems laid out by the new NHS plan is the massive workforce
challenge for the health service. We welcome NHS England reinforcing Labour’s
calls for the Government to guarantee the status of European health staff as
soon as possible. Sadly Jeremy Hunt has no plan whatsoever to help the NHS
through the challenge of Brexit and is being enormously complacent about the
impact for the NHS. The Government need to be much clearer about how they will
guarantee there are enough staff in place in the health service to keep
patients safe for the years to come.”
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