This is the last article you can read this month
You can read more article this month
You can read more articles this month
Sorry your limit is up for this month
Reset on:
Please help support the Morning Star by subscribing here
Dodgy David Cameron’s claim in Parliament that hospital waiting times have fallen under the Tories was exposed yesterday as spin.
A letter from UK Statistics Authority chairman Sir Andrew Dilnot to Labour shows how the Prime Minister fiddled A&E figures to cover up growing queues.
Sir Andrew explained that the Tories quoted “time to assessment” instead of “time to departure” used for official figures.
His verdict comes after Mr Cameron insisted at Prime Minister’s Questions on July 2 that “the average waiting time is down by more than half.”
Labour accused him of spinning data after independent research by the House of Commons Library also showed waiting times soaring.
Their suspicions have now been proven by official figures provided by Sir Andrew to shadow health secretary Andy Burnham.
Britain’s statistics chief clarified: “The mean duration to departure time in 2009-10 was 135 minutes and in 2012-13 it was 141 minutes.
“The median duration to departure in 2009-10 was 122 minutes, and 128 minutes in 2012-13.”
Now Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt faces making an embarrassing climbdown on behalf of the government.
Sir Andrew said: “The Secretary of State may wish to take advice on whether it is necessary to correct the parliamentary record.”
Mr Burnham said it wasn’t the first time top Tories had been caught making “dodgy claims from the dispatch box.”
But he said: “It proves their statements on the NHS, even in the House of Commons, can no longer be trusted.
“This is a damning verdict on David Cameron’s and Jeremy Hunt’s mismanagement of the NHS and their desperate attempts to paper over the cracks.
“The gap between their spin and the reality for patients is becoming dangerous.”
The revelations came as Mr Burnham warned the public of Tory NHS privatisation plans during a speech in Manchester.
Unite leader Len McCluskey accused Mr Cameron yesterday of “acting like an estate agent who has put a big ‘for sale’ sign up outside your home without permission.”
“Health is a major concern for the people of this country and it’s going to be a big election issue in May 2015,” he said.
