Labour candidate for Wolverhampton North East, Emma Reynolds, has expressed concern about the increase in NHS waiting times to see a GP and be treated in A&E. Since 2010 the Tory-led government has scrapped the 48-hour guarantee to see a GP, and 600 fewer GP surgeries are now open on weekends and evenings. In A&E departments during the last quarter only 91.8% of patients were treated within 4 hours, missing the government’s 95% target.

Emma said “It is concerning that patients are waiting so long to see a doctor. This is a direct result of David Cameron’s policies. By wasting money on a £3 billion top-down reorganisation that nobody voted for, he has diverted money away from A&E services resulting in the highest waiting times for a decade.  The NHS is not protected under this government, and patients are suffering as a result.”

“People are waiting longer and longer for a GP appointment. David Cameron’s government has cut GP opening hours meaning that patients have lost access to 600 surgeries during the evening and weekend. The cuts have meant it is now getting even harder to see a GP on Monday to Friday as well. Another five years of a Tory government will further undermine our NHS. Waiting times at A&E and the queues outside GP surgeries will get longer and longer.”

“A Labour government will protect our NHS so that it has the time to care for you and your family when you need it. We will restore the guarantee of an appointment with a GP within 48 hours and invest in 20,000 more nurses, 8,000 extra GPs and 5,000 additional home care workers. This will be funded by a clamp down on tax avoidance, a levy on tobacco firms and a mansion tax on properties worth over £2 million.”