I took the train to Hamburg last weekend where I needed 2 stitches for my chin after a post-curling slip on an ice rink. I had to wait an hour in A&E.
Whereas, in the UK, my sister had a 9hr wait in A&E last year.
If you're as skeptical of anecdotal evidence as I am:
-The median wait time in UK A&E has crept up to 3 hours.
-One-third of A&E patients had to wait over 4 hours at our local Devon NHS trust last month.
-More than 1 in 10 UK A&E patients had to wait over 12 hours before being admitted, transferred or discharged. Up 365x on a decade ago.
Let's demand better.
The NHS is one of the best value healthcare systems in the West - testament to the thousands of hard-working hours NHS professionals put in.
Labour and the Tories think they can get away just with short-sighted reforms on the cheap.
But what I hear on the doorsteps is people want investment in our NHS, some reforms, and to keep it under public control. As a Lib Dem, I agree.
Will Aczel, Lib Dem Parliamentary Candidate for Exeter
ENDS
Notes to editors:
Median wait time in A&E up to 3 hours: Nuffield Trust: https://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/resource/a-e-waiting-times
A&E waiting times by NHS trust: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-68306477
More than 1 in 10 people (12.4%) facing waits over 12 hours in A&E: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/feb/12/england-15m-patients-at-least-12-hours-a-and-e#:~:text=It%20means%20one%20in%2010,data%20by%20the%20Liberal%20Democrats.
12 hour waits over time: House of Commons Library: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-7281/?fbclid=IwAR2_zaxXA2P41qXrhE0FTSU3Q6WOphQfVEWZoAV1VTOd1uSJLTDsN1_xmKo
Over 12% of Devon's population are on an NHS waiting list. We deserve better.