Rishi Sunak admits failing to cut NHS waiting lists

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has admitted that he has failed his pledge to cut NHS waiting lists. He's blamed industrial action for their "impact", but said his government have not "made enough progress".

Cutting NHS waiting lists was one of five priorities made by Sunak in January 2023. At the time he said "NHS waiting lists will fall and people will get the care they need more quickly".

Speaking now in a TalkTV interview with Piers Morgan, Sunak was asked if his government failed in that promise. He replied: "yes we have".

The prime minister continued: "What I would say to people is that we've invested record amounts in the NHS - more doctors, more nurses, more scanners. All these things mean the NHS is doing more than it ever has but industrial action has had an impact."

Strikes by nurses and some other health workers ended last summer, following a pay deal with the government. Walkouts continue by junior doctors and consultants.

Sunak told the BBC last month that he expected to see the results of his measures designed to reduce waiting times to start taking effect in spring 2024.

As of November 2023, the overall number of waits for non-emergency care in England stood at around 7.6 million.

While there was a slight decrease on the number of waits compared with the previous month, that figure is roughly 400,000 higher than at the start of 2023.