Rishi promises biggest cut to A&E waiting times ‘in history’ & says hospitals to get 5,000 more beds in plan to save NHS

RISHI Sunak today vowed to slash NHS waiting lists in record timing as he announced a major expansion of hospital beds and ambulance vehicles.

The PM was at Teeside University in Middlesborough to reveal his two year recovery plan for the embattled health service.

In his second “PM Connect” Q&A with health workers, Mr Sunak pledged to trigger the “largest and fastest ever improvement in emergency waiting times in NHS history”.

A staggering 7 million Brits are currently sitting on hospital waiting lists.

The PM outlined his five point plan for improving the NHS: increasing hospital capacity, expanding staffing levels, speeding up discharges and improving NHS 111.

The PM said: “We’ve got this great plan and now we’ve got to deliver it.

“I feel really confident that we can deliver it because ultimately, it’s because of all of you and the hard work and the ingenuity that you bring to your jobs day in day out that we’re going to fix this problem.”

“We’re going to improve things for patients and make an enormous difference to people up and down the country.”

Mr Sunak confirmed hospitals will get 5,000 more beds and 800 ambulances to ease the pressure on emergency departments.

And he promised to expand the provision of “virtual wards”, where patients get treated at home so hospital beds don’t get blocked.

There are currently 7,000 Brits in virtual beds but in the short term the PM wants this rise to 10,000.

It is hoped eventually about 50,000 people a month could eventually be cared for at home, monitored using gadgets and apps.

And proposals are in place for three quarters of A&E patients to be seen within four hours by spring next year.

On the topic of of pay rises for nurses, the PM implied he’s not in a position to hike salaries.

He said that he’s constrained by record high taxes that the public desperately want to get down, leaving little room for more spending.

And he added that public sector pay rises could worsen inflation.

“The most important thing that I need to do for all of you… is to have inflation,” the PM said.

“It’s the thing that’s going to make the biggest difference to all of your lives and everyone else’s.

“An important part of us getting a grip of inflation and having it is making sure that the government is responsible, whether it’s borrowing because if that gets out of control that makes it worse, or making sure pay settlements are reasonable.”