Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.
In a recent interview with the BBC, Sir Keir Starmer criticized successive Conservative-led governments for “breaking” the NHS in England. According to Starmer, the state of the NHS is “unforgivable” after years of austerity measures and the current government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic that left the healthcare system in an “awful position.” Starmer cited a review of the health service set to be published on Thursday, conducted by eminent surgeon Lord Darzi, which is expected to reveal the extent to which children are being let down by the NHS.
The report from Lord Darzi is expected to highlight a number of issues, including rising waiting times, falling vaccination rates, and worsening health outcomes for children. The report’s findings reveal that over 100,000 infants in England waited for more than six hours in A&E departments last year, while wait times for infants rose by 60% over the past 15 years. Approximately 800,000 children and young individuals are currently on NHS waiting lists, with 175,000 waiting for more than six months, and 35,000 waiting for over a year. Hospital admissions for children and young people with eating disorders have risen by 82% since 2019 to 2020, while ADHD prescription medications for this age group rose by 10% annually between 2004 and 2023.
The report also reveals that children from lower-income backgrounds were twice as likely to be obese by reception age. In the poorest communities, nearly one-in-three children is obese by Year 6. Additionally, it found that life-threatening and life-limiting conditions among children have increased by 40% over the past two decades. The full report from Lord Darzi will be published on Thursday, although the government has already released some of its findings.
Sir Keir Starmer placed the blame for these issues on the Tories, stating that “it’s the last government that broke the NHS.” He also argued that only a Labour government can bring about the necessary reforms to the healthcare system. Labour’s first step towards reform is to fund 40,000 out-of-hours NHS appointments each week to reduce waiting lists. However, some have raised questions over how long Labour can continue to blame the Conservatives and when scrutiny of their own performance against NHS targets will begin.
The interview with Sir Keir Starmer was wide-ranging and touched on various topics, including the summer riots, Grenfell disaster, public finances, and his upcoming visit to the White House. The full interview can be watched on BBC One or BBC iPlayer
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.