Trick-or-streeting
STREETING has responded with some very bold promises after a
Telegraph
leader claimed Labour’s NHS plans were “disintegrating”.
“Our 10-year health plan will… effectively abolish outpatient appointments, as we shift care into the community and make better use of new technology like virtual wards and remote monitoring,” he wrote in the Telegraph. “Just two weeks ago, we announced the first ever NHS Online hospital that will launch in 2027 and deliver 8.5m additional appointments in just three years, making healthcare as easy as online banking or streaming your favourite TV series. Rolling out new medicines like obesity jabs can curb the rising tide of demand… We shall see. MD’s guess is that Labour won’t be able to deliver on its sole manifesto pledge, to return “referral to treatment time” (RTT) to 18 weeks in time for the 2029 election. Latest data shows a second consecutive month’s rise in the RTT backlog, as well as a 4 percent year-on-year rise in urgent and emergency care demand. Fulfilling this pledge alone may require spectacular data manipulation.