There are an array of numbers relating to the NHS that, it’s safe to assume, make Wes Streeting wince.
Take, for example, the number of hospital tests and treatments people in England are waiting for – 7.42 million – and the number of people who need them – 6.24 million. Both have come down since Labour took power 17 months ago but still remain near worst-ever highs.
There is also the proportion of A&E patients across the UK who are routinely cared for in corridors, waiting rooms or backs of ambulances because hospitals are so overcrowded – 18%. There is also the estimated number of very unwell people in England who die every year because it takes too long to find them a bed – 16,600, according to the Royal College of Emergency Medicine.
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