Yorkshire women face 'dangerous' NHS waiting times

The party last night said women are “paying the price” of Conservative failures with NHS targets missed in Yorkshire and the North East.

It found that thousands of women in the county have been left on waiting lists for gynaecological treatments, with many waiting for over a month to see their GP.

Labour said that women in the region are “waiting in pain” and life-threatening conditions could go undetected.

Between September 2021 and September last year the number of women on gynaecology waiting lists had increased by more than a third, rising from 56,900 to 76,300, according to analysis.

3,390 women had been waiting over a whole year for treatment, while 136,000 women could be waiting over 28 days to see their GP in the North East & Yorkshire.

Anneliese Dodds, Labour’s shadow women and equalities secretary, said: “The Conservatives’ seemingly permanent NHS crisis is unacceptable and frankly dangerous.

“Women are paying the price for 13 years of abject failure, often waiting in pain and anxiety. They can’t even get to see their GP, let alone see a hospital specialist for treatment.

“The idea that someone with suspected breast cancer can be left waiting for weeks on end for a consultation is heartbreaking. The fact that it is commonplace is disgraceful.

“Labour will reform the NHS and train thousands more doctors, nurses and midwives each year, so patients can be treated on time again, paid for by abolishing the non-dom tax exemption.”

Earlier this week health leaders said that NHS patients were being “hit hard” by industrial action as it emerged that almost 150,000 appointments had been affected by strikes.

Data published by NHS England shows 137,081 appointments have been delayed due to industrial action in less than two months.

Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, said: “There are no winners in this situation: patients are being hit hard, trusts can’t deliver the care they want, and staff feel they have no choice but to join the picket lines.

“We cannot afford for industrial action to become the new normal in the NHS.

Monday saw the largest strike in NHS history as tens of thousands of workers in England staged walkouts, including members of the Royal College of Nursing alongside GMB and Unite paramedics, call handlers and other staff at ambulance trusts.

Ambulance workers in England will stage fresh strike action today as the dispute over pay and staffing continues.

Around 15 staff will walk out across five services including Yorkshire, with Unison balloting another 10,000 of its ambulance members in England for industrial action, so any further strikes could be the biggest yet for the union.

Head of health Sara Gorton said there was a “gap” between what the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and other ministers were saying in public about having “constructive talks” with unions, compared with what was actually happening.

She sai she believed the Government was now “sitting it out” and waiting for the next pay round rather than trying to negotiate a deal to resolve the current dispute.

Any recommendation from the NHS Pay Review Body about next year’s pay is not expected for months, she said.

It comes as the Government announced that families in Yorkshire will be offered health and support with issues including mental health and relationship building as part of a £300 million investment.

Local authorities in Sheffield and Hull have been awarded “trailblazer funding” to allow them to accelerate progress.

The Department for Health and Social Care was contacted for comment.