The latest statistics on waiting times at Accident and Emergency Units
show that hundreds of people each week are continuing to wait more than
four hours at Addenbrooke’s before getting attention.

After a brief improvement in the New Year, only three quarters of
patients are being treated within four hours -; in marked contrast to the
99% achieved when Labour was in office. In February and March hundreds
of people each week were waiting more than four hours.

Cambridge Labour Parliamentary Candidate Daniel Zeichner warns that the
return to long waits is in danger of becoming a ‘new normal’:

“Staff are doing everything they can, but it is clear that there is a
fundamental problem in our health system, not just at Addenbrooke’s but
across the country. Under the last Labour Government, hHard working
staff  pretty much eliminated long waits, but we are now at risk of
going back to long waits as normal -; which is bad for patients, dreadful
for staff, and will allow opponents of our NHS to claim that it doesn’t
work. We warned that cuts to social care would have exactly this effect,
and sadly we have been proved right -; the number of people in receipt of
care has fallen, and too many are now arriving at A & E or are unable to
leave hospital. The evidence is clear -; the NHS urgently needs a change
of direction.”