Rishi Sunak slams striking junior doctors for ‘stalling’ NHS progress on waiting list

Rishi Sunak has blasted striking unions for ‘stalling’ attempts to tackle record backlogs in the NHS. The PM urged junior doctors to accept their pay offer so ‘we can all get back to treating patients and getting those waiting lists down’. During a visit to Milton Keynes University Hospital yesterday, Mr Sunak said: ‘I’m pleased that we’ve practically eliminated the number of people waiting two years. ‘Earlier this year we practically eliminated the number of people waiting one-and-a-half years. ‘Unfortunately, the progress that we were making has stalled because of the industrial action.’ At least 7.6 million patients were waiting to start treatment at the end of June, up from 7.5 million in May, NHS England has revealed. The figure is the highest since records began in 2007. Mr Sunak said the NHS is ‘grappling with the aftermath’ of Covid, while waiting lists in Labour-run Wales are ‘far higher than they are in England’. He insisted yesterday’s £250million announcement to create 900 new hospital beds ‘is another step’ on the ‘journey to a better performing NHS, delivering better care for people, particularly this winter’.