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People take part in a protest outside Parliament in central London, calling on the government to tackle NHS waiting lists, in September 2021
RECOVERY plans to tackle the “catastrophic impact” of the pandemic on NHS waiting times could be derailed by staff shortages and emergency care demands, MPs warned today.
A report by the Commons health and social care committee highlighted staff shortages as one of the major barriers to reducing the growing backlog of patients waiting for treatment in England.
With a record high of almost six million people on waiting lists, MPs said that addressing the problem would be a major and “unquantifiable” challenge as more people require treatment.
With 121,000 vacancies and 44.8% of staff feeling unwell from work stress, the NHS 10-year plan will not succeed unless the government takes immediate action to retain existing staff, writes ANNETTE MANSELL-GREEN
Government urged ‘to tackle the root causes’ of the NHS crisis and improve ‘social care services’