Milton Keynes Council's Progressive Alliance has released a new analysis, based on July’s NHS waiting lists data.
The new data shows that the number of people on NHS wait lists with Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Trust has increased by 318% since 2012.
Across the country, the same trends are occurring. The data also shows that more than 6.6 million people stuck on NHS wait lists, the highest that its ever been.
Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors in Milton Keynes are now calling out the Government who they say are continuing to blame the wait lists on the pandemic.
Publishing the analysis, Councillor Jane Carr, Liberal Democrat Progressive Alliance Cabinet Member for Public Health, said: “Waiting lists in Milton Keynes are soaring, and that means – at best - patients are left in pain and in fear for far longer than they should be, and sadly it also means that more and more people are dying whilst waiting for care.
“Our doctors, nurses and hospital staff have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic and they cannot be blamed for this backlog. The Government must do more to tackle the wait lists and provide relief for our already-stretched health service, which has been described by the Chief Executive of our hospital as a sinking ship.”
Councillor Emily Darlington, Labour Progressive Alliance Cabinet Member for Healthy Communities, added: “Even the Conservative leadership candidates admit that 12 years of Tory rule has left the NHS in crisis, but instead of solving the problem they are fighting amongst themselves. This is backlog Britain, and the truth is the longer the Conservatives are in power the longer patients will wait for care. Change needs to come, and it needs to come now.”
