Responding to 'Labour's first steps to clear NHS backlog in five years', Nuffield Trust Chief Executive, Thea Stein said:
“Labour is right to focus on waiting lists, where progress has been slow and our analysis of the British Social Attitudes survey shows public concern is very high. We support the intention to spend more money on equipment, historically the victim of short-termism. However, the sum of money they are proposing will cover only a limited amount of extra care, not enough for a rapid or sudden improvement.
"It is unclear how more private sector capacity could be used without additional funding – or how much capacity there is left after rapid recent increases in reliance upon it. The problem of NHS productivity, which has fallen for complex reasons since the covid-19 pandemic and which needs careful national leadership to tackle, also needs to be more of a priority.”
Ends.
Notes to editors
For all queries or to arrange an interview, contact our press office: press.office@nuffieldtrust.org.uk; or 020 7462 0500.