Heidi Alexander MP, Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, commenting on NHS England’s latest combined performance summary which shows November 2015 was the worst November on record, said:

“Today’s figures are a worrying illustration of just how far the NHS has declined under the Tories. Key commitments to ensure people are treated swiftly have been missed so often that failure has now become the norm.

“However much Jeremy Hunt tries to avoid the issues, he cannot deny that the NHS has gone backwards on his watch. There is a crisis in A&E, elderly patients are stuck in hospital because of a lack of care in the community, and thousands of people are waiting more than 18 weeks for operations.

“The reality is that this dramatic deterioration in patient care is a direct consequence of this Government’s policies. They cut older people’s care in the home, meaning hospitals have become dangerously full, and cuts to nurse training places have forced hospitals to drain resources hiring expensive agency staff.

“The NHS is being badly let down by this Tory Government and it is patients who are paying the price.”