A&E waiting times will be worse with Tories' extreme Brexit

Responding to NHS England figures which have revealed A&E waiting times hit their worst-ever level in December amid growing pressures on the NHS, Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Munira Wilson said:

"The crisis in A&E is worsening month on month under the Conservatives. Patients are suffering with the worst-ever A&E waiting times but the Conservatives are determined to make the situation worse. The Tories' extreme Brexit including ending freedom of movement, will deprive the NHS of the vital EU nurses and doctors hospitals and A&E's rely on."

During the festive period, some Medway patients have had to wait up to 16 hours to get through a hospital's emergency department. Patients have waited hours from the point of being initially seen to being admitted for further treatment.

We recognise that during the festive period, like many NHS organisations across the UK, our hospital was under significant pressure, with dedicated staff working very hard in challenging circumstances to maintain urgent and emergency care needs.

Dr Alan Bullion, Lib Dem Parliamentary Spokesman for Gillingham and Rainham said "Although Boris Johnson has talked about restoring nursing bursaries which they cut and training up more vital healthcare staff, the stark reality is that as in farming there will be a severe shortage of frontline doctors and nurses both in our hospitals and GP surgeries for several years to come as a direct result of Brexit".

Liberal Democrats will continue to fight to stop a no-deal Brexit at the end of 2020 to protect the NHS. It is essential that the transition period can be extended to ensure freedom of movement is maintained.