Shipley resident stuck on NHS waiting list for 18 months has story told in Parliament

Anna Dixon today told the Health Secretary about one of her constituents who has been stuck on an NHS waiting list for over 18 months.

The Shipley MP informed Wes Streeting about the Shipley resident who has left their job due to their long wait for leg surgery during the House of Commons debate on the NHS: Independent Investigation.

Ms Dixon went on to ask the Secretary of State about the relationship between a functioning NHS and a strong economy.

Dixon asked:

It was great to see the Prime Minister speaking this morning at the King’s Fund, where I worked as director of policy for a number of years.

In my constituency, I met a man who had been told he needed urgent surgery on his leg, but was still waiting 18 months later and had had to give up work.

It is clear from today’s report that too many people have been stuck on NHS waiting lists and locked out of work.

Does the Secretary of State share my view that a healthy nation is critical to a healthy economy, and will he work with his colleagues in the Department for Work and Pensions to deliver that?

The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care responded:

"My hon. Friend is absolutely right: the health of the nation and the health of the economy are inextricably linked. Under this Government, the Department of Health and Social Care is a Department for growth as well as a Department for health and care, and the Chancellor understands those linkages too.

"I can say to my hon. Friend and all of her friends at the King’s Fund—we were delighted to see them host the Prime Minister this morning—that unlike our predecessors, this Government cannot get enough of experts."