Hertford and Stortford Labour Party today gave their backing to plans to end Conservative chaos in the health service, amid serious concerns around an NHS in crisis and the impact of ambulance waiting times on residents in Hertford and Stortford.
Labour has pledged to reform the NHS, with proposals announced at Labour Conference 2022 including a 10 year plan for the health service, pledging the next Labour government to deliver an expansion of the NHS workforce, higher standards for patients, and a model of care focussed on preventing ill-health that reduces the pressure on hospitals in the long-term.
Hertford and Stortford Labour’s Parliamentary Spokesperson, Josh Dean, said, “After 13 years of Conservative government, the NHS is facing its worst crisis in living memory. In the East of England, ambulance response times for category 2 emergencies - such as heart attacks or strokes - average at 2 hours 6 minutes, and there are a record 7.2 million people on waiting lists, the worst number in NHS history, with 2.7 million of those waiting more than 18 weeks for treatment.”
“In a badge of shame for the government, nurses have gone on strike for the first time in history, and rather that get round the negotiating table, the Tories have proposed a spiteful new law that threatens to sack striking nurses. The reality is that the government has no plan to fix the crisis in the NHS because they know it is the result of more than a decade of Conservative policy. They’ve gone from clapping key workers to sacking them, and they’re failing to rise to the challenge of an NHS in crisis.”
“Residents in Hertford and Stortford deserve better than an NHS in endless crisis, and that’s the same for both patients and staff living in our communities. Compare where the NHS finds itself today to where it was after 13 years under the last Labour government: investment was up, waiting times were down, and nurses had fair pay and weren’t on strike.”
“That’s what Labour has done for the NHS before and that’s what the next Labour government will do again, with the biggest expansion of the NHS workforce in its history, paid for by the abolition of the non-dom tax status, and a 10 year plan that will build an NHS that works for patients and staff, ensuring it is fit for the future.”
