A good day to bury bad news? Tories scrap NHS target amid Brexit chaos

After years of Tory austerity, understaffing, cuts and privatisation more patients are waiting longer in A&E and for treatment.

And now they want to ditch the targets.

Changes should be based on clinical consensus not Downing Street pressure. pic.twitter.com/xVI7ATpE7W

— Jonathan Ashworth (@JonAshworth) March 12, 2019

With Brexit negotiations in tatters, the Tories reckon it’s a good day to bury bad news: they’ve scrapped the four-hour NHS waiting time target.
Make sure people know. https://t.co/65LVBUS4un

— The Labour Party (@UKLabour) March 12, 2019

The Labour Party has accused the government of trying to “bury bad news” today, when MPs and the media are distracted by the second meaningful vote on Theresa May’s Brexit deal.

Addressing the Commons, Labour’s health spokesperson Jonathan Ashworth said: “You may have seen today that NHS England have announced the trialling of the abolition of the four-hour waiting time target in A&E departments.

“The four-hour target allowed the last Labour government to deliver some of the lowest waiting times in history and it hasn’t been met under this government since July 2015 and, indeed, 2.8 million patients waited beyond four hours in A&E last year.

“Getting rid of this target should be based on clear medical evidence, not pressure from Downing Street. Would it not have been a basic courtesy for the Secretary of State for Health to come to the House today and offered a statement?”