NHS waiting lists skyrockets in West Suffolk despite Conservative promises.

Rishi Sunak pledged to cut NHS waiting lists in January 2023, since then they have risen by 4,716 in West Suffolk.

Waiting lists in West Suffolk now stand at 34,938 after the Conservative Party has slashed real-terms NHS funding by billions.

Lib Dems call for a reversal to NHS spending cuts that are leaving local health services overstretched.

NHS waiting lists in West Suffolk have hit 34,938 up from 30,222 when Rishi Sunak made his pledge to cut them at the start of the year.

NHS data also reveal that the number waiting over a year for treatment has risen by 557 since Sunak made his waiting lists pledge to 2,085.

It comes as the Conservative government slashes funding for the NHS despite waiting lists growing compared to last year. The Autumn Statement revealed that the NHS budget has been cut by £3.5 billion ( 2.1%) in real terms this year, and is set to fall by another £1.3 billion ( 0.8%) next year.

West Suffolk Liberal Democrats are calling on the Conservative government to reverse the NHS spending cuts and invest in fixing local hospitals, hiring more staff and ensuring patients get the treatment they deserve.

Liberal Democrat Lead Campaigner for West Suffolk Henry Batchelor said:

“These shocking figures show how so many people in West Suffolk are being left endlessly waiting in pain for treatment. People deserve a local health service that delivers the care they need at a time they need it.

“One year on from when Rishi Sunak promised that waiting list numbers would fall, thousands of people in our community are still stuck on these lists with their lives put on hold or unable to work.

“Now this government is set to do the unthinkable and slash NHS funding even further. Local health services are in crisis but the Conservative ministers either don’t get it or don’t care.

“It shows the Conservative Party cannot be trusted with the NHS. We need a general election now so voters in West Suffolk can finally get rid of this out-of-touch Conservative government and elect a Liberal Democrat MP who will stand up for local health services.”