'Without the workforce to meet constantly rising demand, we will not see the progress we all hope for'

LABOUR'S plan to slash NHS waiting times places too much focus on hospital targets and fails to address staff shortages, critics have warned.

- Hanna Geissler

Thousands more people will be sent for treatment in private hospitals under a deal struck with the independent sector, the Prime Minister announced yesterday.

Sir Keir Starmer said it would help ensure 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks for routine treatment by the end of this parliament. The number stands at 59% - and the target has not been met since 2015.

Experts welcomed the PM's ambition but raised serious concerns about staffing levels.

They also called for equally ambitious action to tackle other issues such as availability of GP appointments and ambulance response times.

Prof Phil Banfield, chair of the British Medical Association council, said: "Doctors have been just as frustrated as their patients by the lack of facilities to deliver care and want to bring waiting lists down. But the reality is that without the workforce to meet constantly rising demand, we'll not see the progress we all hope for.

"Only when the Government has laid out its concrete steps to fully support the NHS workforce can we be confident that they have a plan which can achieve this target."