NHS Waiting Lists down under Labour - Is this Tony Blair's fault?

Question

Outpatient waits reduced from 6+ months in 2000 to 3 months by the end of 2005

Inpatient waits reduced from 17+ months in 2000 to 6 months by the end of 2005

And before the Tories start bleating on about hidden waiting lists:

A new target was set in 2004, to reduce by 2008 the wait from GP referral to treatment, including previously ‘hidden’ waits for diagnostics and referrals between consultants. At the end of 2006, 35 per cent of patients were treated within 18 weeks of GP referral.

Bloody Blair, huh?

Source: Kings Fund - an independent charitable foundation working for better health.

Answer 1

Not many answers again.

Monty Rosie, where are you and your mates?

Katie30 had a good visit to the Dr's eh. Sorted with her husband being considered. That's how it should be, and its getting better.

My mates wife was taken ill last week. An operation needed to sort the problem. Due next week. By the time she is fit again, it will have been about 5 weeks, including recuperation. Not bad for a failing institution. Mick

Answer 2

I am number 13 in the answer stakes - this has always been a lucky number for me - have no idea why but it seems to work ok. All the previous 12 have had great points of view but at the end of the day they are all going in the same direction - a serious lack of moral fibre and leadership in government - this will never be answered by the BNP - too many uneducated thugs involved - we may as well hand the country over to the average pub or club doorman dominating the scene in our city nightlife - don't ask questions - just throw out anyone including the innocents involved in a brawl even if the innocents are injured - but then what can you expect from uneducated people ??!! Well, personally speaking i will not stay in our country after the local elections unless we can see a way forward. Do any of you remember voting for a health service, which has had increased contributions from all of us working people year on year, being cut from a 24/7 to a 12/5 service ? Sorry to do this but sometimes people do not understand modern lingo - 24/7 meant 24 hours per day 7 days per week. 12/5 means 12 hours per day - if you are lucky!!! - by 5 days per week. THIIS TONY BLAIR'S LEGACY TO ALL THE HARD WORKING TAX- PAYERS IN THIS COUNTRY. Gordon Brown has paved the way for this and also for the absolute travesty of the pensions scandal. DO I TRUST HIM ??????????????? NO! NO! NEVER!!! These are some of the reasons why we should be rid of this travesty of a government - but one of the reasons why we may not get rid of them lies in the fact that they have year on year increased the number of people reliant on state funding - scroungers-etc and the "work-shy" and with their increased benefits paid for by the rest of us who are working - why would these people ever vote for any other party than the one that allows them to live off the backs of decent hardworking people ??

Answer 3

What planet do you come from, have you been in a hospital lately, the NHS is a shambles and worse than it was twenty years ago, patients are frightened to go into hospital in case they get one of the super bugs that are running wild in the hospitals. Our nurses can hardly speak English, and the general care standard is only just as high as third world countries. New Labour has closed more hospitals than any other Government and continues to pump money into wages for the specialists and consultants that work a three day week.
Home produced doctors can't get a Job yet we continue to employ and make a point of employing overseas doctors with dubious qualifications with disastrous results. Your source is telling out and out lies or our media is.

One thing I do know tho Blair is a proven Liar and responsible for a lot of deaths through his lies (Kelly)

I don't think Bloody Blair goes any where near describing Blair and what he is responsible for.

You don't give a name but I know who you are, you are Major Tong aren't you he didn't know what planet he was on either.

Answer 4

I'm too healthy and employed in the wrong area to comment with any knowledge about the current state of the NHS, but it's a long-term strategy of Tories and their newspaper friends to employ the following strategy:

1: Claim that the NHS is falling apart, that it's a failed concept and that any increased spend will result in waste

2: Once the public believe this, claim that privatisation is the only solution to the perceived 'ills'.

The concept of public healthcare based on patients' needs rather than what people can afford to pay is a concept worth holding on to.

Answer 5

Yeah! I blame Tony Blair and Labour for everything that's gone right in UK over the last ten years.

Tonys' biggest achievement, which will go down in history, is the power sharing agreement in Northern Ireland.

Tony is doing the right thing though, getting out while he's ahead.

Answer 6

Well to be honest they didn't have to work too hard to turn around the TERRIBLE state the tories left the country in, though yes, people should be grateful that labour did this for the country. However - I believe any socialist government will always do that sort of thing, especially when they take over from a conservative one, it's not necesarily a good indication of Blair's leadership.

Answer 7

Waiting lists are not the appropriate measure of success in the health service.

Must people today will tell you the service they receive is poor - due to the very policies that make it possible to suggest waiting lists are down. That's if you accept them as genuine.

One person's fact is another persons lie.

BTW privatisation front door or back is bad for the NHS.

Answer 8

Stastics, lies, lies, lies - famous quote from someone who knew how government worked!

18 Weeks is rather a long time to wait if you have a suspected serious condition.

Perhaps if you want to see a real measure of the quality of health services you should look at the Panorama programme on maternity care - that was shocking. I can tell you that cancer services are atrocious - and waiting 18 weeks to see someone could mean an early death warrant.

Answer 9

don't know much about politics but i went to my doctor with a complaint, i was referred to the hospital consultant within 6 weeks. i needed an operation and the consultant arranged my op round my self employed hubby's' working hours so he had time book time off to look after me. i got an appointment there and then for four weeks later. i live in the north so I'm not sure how it works in the south but i was happy. i have no complaints at all with the NHS.
i suppose somebody needs to take the credit!!

Answer 10

Nice one V.O.R hopefully some of these facts will finally start sinking in to the likes of Rosie and Monty who seem to think we wear rose tinted glasses, they are the ones who take the simple facts of ten stable economic years for granted, god help us all if they get their way and we get the No-Policy Tories in with their wrecking ball...,,,

Gave you a few stars by the way some great questions.