Ministers letting Stockport “grind to a halt” as 56,744 on local NHS waiting lists

A staggering 174 out of every 1,000 NHS patients in Stockport who have been referred for treatment are still waiting it to start– the fifth worst performing area of the country – research from the House of Commons Library, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats, has revealed.

The Liberal Democrats said the “terrifying” figures show Ministers have let Stockport “grind to a halt” under the pressure of growing NHS backlogs, with 56,744 “incomplete pathways” – NHS management speak for people waiting for treatment. 

The party has criticised the Conservative government for failing to prioritise the NHS in the recent Autumn Statement despite the huge economic impact of people unable to return to work because they are waiting for treatment.

Liberal Democrat Lisa Smart, the MP candidate for Hazel Grove constituency said: “This is a national outrage, and I am saddened that Stockport is one of the worst performing areas of the country.

“We’re desperately losing NHS services – the lack of dentists is another huge issue locally – and the Conservative Government is refusing to back measures to tackle this crisis.”

Separate ONS figures show that a record high 2.6 million people are inactive across the country are out of work due to long-term sickness, up from two million in 2019.

The Liberal Democrats have set out a plan to fix the crisis in NHS and care, including giving people a legal right to see their GP within seven days, increasing the Carer’s Minimum Wage to tackle soaring vacancies, and giving people a guarantee to begin cancer treatment within 62 days of being diagnosed.

Lisa continued: “The Liberal Democrats are calling for urgent investment in the NHS to bring down waiting lists as the health service prepares for yet another winter crisis under this Conservative government. 

“The Prime Minister’s abject failure to bring down the NHS backlogs like he promised is having real consequences for people. Far too many people are being made to suffer unnecessarily at the hands of the Conservative party’s incompetence.”