Bryan HayUnite, the UK’s leading union, which represents almost 100,000 heath workers, has commentated on Labour’s pledge to reduce waiting lists to target levels within five years,
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Our NHS is on life support after suffering from relentless abuse by this government, so we welcome all positive actions that Labour will take to heal it.
“But health workers need to be at the heart of that change. There is a recruitment and retention crisis in the NHS which has been driven by low pay, excessive workloads and burnout, and which is putting patients at risk. This needs to be resolved.
“You can’t do that by relying on private companies whose cherry picking and profiteering is already part of the problem. Ultimately there can be no substitute for a properly funded and resourced NHS.”
