Labour attacks government on waiting times

Shadow health minister Derek Twigg pressed the government to guarantee hospital waiting times would not rise once the coalition had transferred responsibility for commissioning services from primary care trusts to GPs.

And Labour former culture secretary Ben Bradshaw claimed the NHS under the coalition was already failing to meet its targets as it struggled to cut costs.

But health minister Simon Burns insisted the government did care about keeping waiting times short but the NHS was now more focused on making sure patients were successfully treated rather than “bureaucratic processes” such as targets.

In a heated exchange with the minister, Mr Bradshaw told the Commons: “I think you will find the public do care about waiting times.

“Will you confirm that waiting times are already going up, that more people are already waiting more than 18 weeks, the maximum we achieved on this side of the House in government, and the performance of accident and emergency departments has deteriorated since you watered down our A&E targets?”

Mr Twigg said patients were happy with the NHS in its “current form”, while “more and more operations” were being cancelled or postponed.

He added: “A number of nurses in my constituency have written to me to say they are short-staffed and I quote from one of them who said ‘those that leave are not being replaced’. Isn’t that the true picture of what is going on in the NHS at the moment?

“If you are confident of the secretary of state’s plans for the NHS, would you guarantee that under the secretary of state’s plans for the NHS that hospital waiting times will not rise or are you going to duck the question like the prime minister did last week?”

Mr Burns said Mr Bradshaw’s comments on A&E waiting times were “factually wrong” and “cheap”.

He said that average waiting times were just over eight weeks but the government was also focused on ensuring patients were satisfied with the treatment they did receive.

Responding to Mr Twigg, Mr Burns added: “Under these reforms, by concentrating on raising quality and outcomes we will give improved quality healthcare for patients.

“What I can guarantee is that under these reforms when implemented they will ensure that not only people are getting improved quality but they will also see quality times based on the clinical decisions rather than distorted by political processes.”