Last week, I had been back at Milton Keynes University Hospital to thank staff for the work they are doing to bring waiting lists down for local patients. It was important to say thank you in person – because the progress we are seeing is down to the dedication and professionalism of NHS staff working under sustained pressure.
Despite record demand last year, waiting lists at our local hospital have fallen since the general election. That matters to patients in Milton Keynes Central who are waiting for a diagnosis, treatment, or reassurance that everything is okay.
Across England, NHS waiting lists fell by more than 86,000 in November alone. That progress has been delivered during the busiest year the NHS has ever faced. In 2025, there were 27.8 million A&E attendances, more than 367,000 higher than the previous year, with 2.33 million attendances in December alone. These figures underline just how significant this achievement is.
This month also marks a year since Labour published its Elective Reform Plan, setting out how we would tackle long waits and modernise the NHS. Since then, record investment has been matched with practical reform: more evening and weekend clinics, expanded community diagnostic centres and surgical hubs, and a move towards “straight to test” pathways so patients are not sent back and forth for unnecessary appointments. Expert teams have also been sent into trusts facing the highest pressures, helping to clear backlogs where they are most severe.
Here in Milton Keynes, that approach is making a real difference. Hundreds more patients have received faster diagnoses and quicker treatment, or the all-clear, over the last 12 months. That has happened even as services continue to operate under consistently high pressure.
Winter always brings extra pressure for the NHS, and flu is continuing to have an impact on hospitals and ambulance services. If you are eligible for the flu vaccine in Milton Keynes, please do consider getting it – it is not too late, and it makes a real difference in protecting both individuals and the wider community.
There is still a long road ahead. Years of underinvestment cannot be undone overnight. But what we are seeing now is progress built on a clear plan, proper funding, and trust in NHS staff to deliver. Labour is fixing our health service, not with slogans, but with sustained action – so it is fit for the future and there for everyone who needs it.