New statistics show the number of people in England waiting to start routine NHS hospital treatment has grown to a record high of 6.4 million. A&E waiting times are the worst on record. Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP says:

“Blaming this backlog solely on the pandemic is an excuse that just won’t wash. The Conservatives have been running health services into the ground for years.

“After years of neglect, health services have been plunged into crisis, with cancer patients waiting months for treatment and families facing deadly delays for an ambulance in an emergency. 

“Years of driving the NHS into the ground and taking it for granted is putting patients’ lives at risk.  It’s high time the Government hatch a serious plan to turn this chronic decline around, or else more pain and misery will be coming down the track for people up and down the country who deserve better.”