NHS has failed to meet A&E waiting time target for two years - figures
2 min read
NHS England has not met its monthly target for A&E waiting times for two years, newly released figures show.
At least 95% of patients are supposed to be seen within four hours of admittance, yet in July hospitals met the target just 90.3% of the time.
Meanwhile there were over half a million emergency admissions in July 2017, only the third time the numbers have breached that mark since records began.
The figures also revealed that two of NHS England’s eight cancer targets were not met in June.
Just 80.5% of patients began their treatment 62 days after their GP appointment, missing the 85% target.
Some 280,000 people have been added to waiting lists - meaning over 4 million people are currently waiting for treatment, according to the Nuffield Trust.
Jeremy Corbyn, who today visited the Royal Cornwall Hospital with Shadow Health Secretary Jon Ashworth, said the Tories' record on the NHS was "nothing to be proud of".
"NHS patients cannot afford another year of Theresa May," he said.
"She has said she is 'proud' of the Conservative record on the NHS, but after a year in office, patients are waiting longer to be seen in A&E, longer for treatment and longer to be discharged. That is nothing to be proud of.
"Labour would immediately put £2 billion into social care. We would lift the public sector pay cap and reinstate nurses' bursaries to help recruit and retain NHS staff. The NHS is simply not safe in the hands of the Conservatives. A Labour government will invest in our NHS so it can properly look after the vast majority of people who rely on it."
A spokesman for NHS England said nine out of 10 patients were being admitted, treated, and transferred or discharged from A&E within four hours, which was "up on the May 2017 performance".
"Reducing delays for patients awaiting discharge from hospital remains a key priority ahead of winter, and it is positive that NHS-related delays are lower this year than last," they said.
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