A&E admissions have increased 10 times faster under the Coalition government than the four years previously, Labour’s shadow health secretary Andy Burnham claims.
An extra 600,000 patients visit A&E departments each year compared to the time of the last election four years ago.
Meanwhile, A&E attendances increased by just 60,000 over the four years to 2010, the figures from the House of Commons Library show – meaning the Tory-led government has seen the rate of increase soar ten-fold.
Mr Burnham, MP for Leigh, believes that decisions by David Cameron have resulted in today’s record pressure on England’s hospitals.
Speaking in a Commons debate today, he is expected to say: “Rather than blaming patients, the time has come for Ministers to take responsibility for the crisis they have created in England’s A&E departments.
“It is their failure to face up to those real causes that prevents them finding a proper solution.”
In the last month, 179,416 patients waited over four hours to be seen in England’s A&Es – more than double the 74,108 patients waiting that long in the same period last year.
“The situation in A&Es has intensified in recent weeks but David Cameron’s complacency means he’s putting patients at risk,” he will say.
“If he’s going to take the pressure off A&Es, he must adopt Labour’s five-point plan and give patients the support they need.”
The Health Secretary will call on the Government to stop the closure of NHS walk-in centres and improve access to GPs, after startling figures revealed one in four walk-in centres have closed and an extra 290,000 patients turn to A&E when they can’t get a GP appointment.
He will also ask ministers not to sign NHS 111 contracts due for renewal until the flawed model, which replaced experienced nurses with call centre staff, is changed.
NHS 111 is on course to recommend an A&E visit to 50% more patients this year than last.
Burnham is also calling for an improvement in social care due to an extra 98,000 patients over 90 also arriving at A&E each year, as 300,000 people have social care support taken away.
Image courtesy of the NHS conderation, with thanks.
