Member

In November, the Prime Minister set out the Government’s plan for change—a plan to dig this country out of the hole it was left in and an act of resistance against the status quo of managed decline. It committed to cutting maximum waiting times from 18 months today to 18 weeks by the end of this Parliament. Today, we are setting out how we will hit that ambitious target, so that once again the NHS is there for us when we need it. This will demand faster improvement than even the last Labour Government achieved. That means doing things differently. It had to be a plan for investment and reform. Investment and reform are what Labour promised before the election. Investment and reform are what we are delivering. Our elective reform plan will cut waste and inefficiency, ramp up the number of appointments, scans and operations that the NHS performs, and give NHS patients greater choice, control and convenience.