The Kings Fund make it clear that without better support, NHS finances will get worse and waiting times will increase – Ashworth

Jonathan Ashworth, Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, responding to The King’s Fund’s latest Quarterly Monitoring Report, said:

“This comprehensive overview from the King’s Fund demonstrates again the enormous strain which the Government has created for the health service this winter.

“Cuts to social care have left people stuck in hospital when they’re well enough to go home, increasing pressure on A&E units. Hospitals are increasingly having to rely on short term measures like agency staff and outsourcing to balance the books.  

“NHS staff are working around the clock to keep the service running but their efforts are being undermined by the neglect of the Government. The King’s Fund make clear that without better support NHS finances will get worse and waiting times will increase. Theresa May urgently needs to set out a sustainable plan for health and social care so that patients never have to suffer a winter like this again.”

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