Andrew Gwynne MP, Labour’s Shadow Health Minster, responding to the ‘38 degrees’ poll that shows half of NHS staff believe patient care is deteriorating, said:
 
“This damning survey exposes the hollowness of David Cameron’s claim that he could be trusted with the NHS.
 
“He wasted £3 billion on a damaging NHS reorganisation he promised wouldn’t happen and slashed nurse training places.
 
“It is truly shocking that half of staff now say patient care worsened over the last two years. The sad truth is that by turning the NHS upside down with a damaging reorganisation and causing a crisis in A&E, the Tory-led Government has made care problems more likely, not less.
 
“Only Labour will invest an extra £2.5 billion each year to give the NHS the staff it needs, including 20,000 more nurses and 8,000 more GPs and 3,000 more midwives.”
 
Ends

Editor’s Notes

The survey found:

•       Half of NHS workers (50%) say that patient care has declined over the last two years, while just 6% say that patient care improved in the same time period

•       Nine in ten staff (91%) report worsening staff shortages over the past two years

•       78% said clinical staff now have less time to care for patients compared to two years ago