Ministers letting Wokingham and West Berkshire “grind to a halt” as 34,951 people are on NHS waiting lists

Ministers letting Wokingham and West Berkshire “grind to a halt” as 34,951 people are on NHS waiting lists

There are 34,951 incomplete patient pathways on a waiting list in West Berkshire which included Wokingham - the equivalent of 60 per 1,000 patients

Local Lib Dems accuse the government of letting Wokingham “grind to a halt”

There are 60 incomplete patient pathways on NHS waiting lists per 1,000 patients in West Berkshire, which includes Wokingham, research from the House of Commons Library, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.

The Liberal Democrats said the “terrifying” figures show Ministers have let Wokingham “grind to a halt” under the pressure of growing NHS backlogs, with 34,951 incomplete pathways on NHS waiting lists. 

The party has criticised the Conservative government for failing to prioritise the NHS in the recent Autumn Statement despite the huge economic impact of people unable to return to work because they are waiting for treatment.

Separate ONS figures show that a record high 2.6 million people are inactive across the country are out of work due to long-term sickness, up from two million in 2019.

The Liberal Democrats have set out a plan to fix the crisis in NHS and care, including giving people a legal right to see their GP within seven days, increasing the Carer’s Minimum Wage to tackle soaring vacancies, and giving people a guarantee to begin cancer treatment within 62 days of being diagnosed.

Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate for Wokingham, Clive Jones said:

“People in Wokingham deserve an NHS that is there to look after them when they are in need. Instead, this Conservative government has run our local health services into the ground.

"I am so pleased our hardworking and professional healthcare workers are here to help us.

“It should not be too much to ask for people in Wokingham to be able to get a GP appointment when they need one or get the treatment they deserve in time. 

“That is why the Liberal Democrats are calling for urgent investment in the NHS to bring down waiting lists as the health service prepares for yet another winter crisis under this Conservative government. 

“The Prime Minister’s abject failure to bring down the NHS backlogs like he promised is having real consequences for our community. Far too many people are being made to suffer unnecessarily at the hands of the Conservative party’s incompetence.”