Health secretary is due to speak at the Labour conference after announcing plans for an ‘online hospital’ aimed at cutting waiting times
Wes Streeting, the health secretary, told LBC this morning that Reform UK’s plan to rescind indefinite leave to remain as an immigration status, including from people who have already been told they can remain in Britain for good, would be a “disaster” for the NHS.
Asked what impact it would have, he said:
It would be a disaster.
There are doctors, nurses, care workers, NHS, staff earning less than £60,000 a year, who have come to this country, who have given back, not just through their taxes, but through their service to our country.
That’s a system that would check your pockets before your pulse. That’s a system that could ask for your credit card before you get your care.
That’s not a future I think people in this country want. And I think if more people knew about Reform’s policies on the NHS, the less confident they would be.
When Nigel Farage was asked in the context of that row about paracetamol, and whether or not it posed a risk to pregnant women and their children, despite what all of the medical science and all of our doctors were saying, when he was asked who’s side he was on, he said, ‘I don’t have a side.’
Well, that’s not someone I think should be trusted with healthcare in our country.
If that’s the sort of health advice Nigel Farage is taking, maybe that’s why he’s the same age as Brad Pitt but looks 20 years older.
A new chapter in the story of our NHS, harnessing the future, patients in control. Waiting times cut for every single person in this country. That’s national renewal, that’s a Britain built for all.
In decades to come, I want people to look back on this moment as the moment we renewed the NHS for a new world.
The online hospital will be accessible through the NHS app – which is a central part of Labour’s drive to create an NHS fit for the future. That drive has seen an extra five million NHS appointments delivered since Labour came to office.
Patients will always have the choice between NHS Online and their local hospital. Those who opt in to the service will also access and track prescriptions, be referred for scans and tests, and receive clinical advice on managing their condition – all from the comfort of their own home.
University Hospital Southampton’s outpatient clinics were overwhelmed with follow-up appointments for patients with low-risk inflammatory bowel disease flare-ups. They developed a virtual follow-up pathway, enabling patients to access care remotely and initiate follow-up when needed, rather than being booked into routine slots. They used digital tools to monitor their symptoms and support decision-making. This led to a 73% reduction in consultant-led outpatient appointments, over 75% of patients managed virtually, and a 58% reduction in waiting times.
Moorfields Eye Hospital identified issues with long waits for referrals to be reviewed, causing anxiety and distress for patients waiting for care. They introduced a Single Point of Access for virtual triage across multiple providers with all referrals coming into a single shared system. Staff assessed each referral digitally to quickly decide what kind of care was needed and where it should happen, with patients prioritised if urgent, directed to the right clinic if routine, or promptly informed if a referral wasn’t appropriate. Referral processing time reduced from 11 hours to two, with 58% of urgent referrals safely downgraded to routine clinics.
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Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2025/sep/30/labour-conference-starmer-speech-streeting-nhs-reform
Author : Andrew Sparrow
Publish date : 2025-09-30 08:14:00
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