Government “allowing Oldham’s health service to crumble"

Liberal Democrats in Oldham have accused the Government of “allowing local health services to crumble” after the Autumn Statement failed to provide additional funding for local health services.

Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes said: “This government is bad for our health.  They are either so out of touch that they cannot see how many people are struggling to access healthcare services, or they simply do not care.

“There was nothing in the Chancellors’ Autumn Statement on NHS waiting lists, to fix our crumbling hospitals and fund the paramedics and nurses we need.

“The Liberal Democrats have been calling for the Chancellor to invest in a robust NHS rescue plan.  These measures would have included reversing Conservative cuts to vital public health services in Oldham and delivering 8,000 more GPs across the country to create millions more appointments every year.”

A poll commissioned by the Liberal Democrats showed that one in seven people had taken a significant length of time off work whilst waiting for treatment on the NHS.

Councillor Sykes said: “The backlogs and never-ending waiting lists have a huge impact on people’s quality of life.  It affects people’s ability to go to work and that can be extremely worrying for families with the cost-of-living crisis still raging.

“We are in the middle of another extremely difficult winter for our NHS, the Government has wasted this opportunity to turn things around.”