ONS A&E wait times: Conservatives have proven themselves unfit to run our NHS

Responding to ONS figures which show that in England, the percentage of A&E waits lasting over four hours had increased five-fold, from 8% to 42%, in a decade, Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care Spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said:

"Patients have been completely let down. Going to A&E is not a small matter for a lot of people, yet our NHS has been so badly neglected it imeans that millions are put through endlessly long waits and not getting the care they deserve.

"This Conservative government has brought our health service to its knees. They have ignored the needs of patients, allowed hospital buildings to crumble, and have proven themselves completely unfit to run our NHS.

"Inexplicably they are refusing to cancel their planned cut to the NHS budget. Our health service needs to be at the heart of the government's priorities, not just left to fall apart."