Labour's Wes Streeting says he will not condemn nurses for potential strike action

Labour shadow health secretary Wes Streeting visiting medical professionals in Sheffield

Wes Streeting visited Sheffield’s Darnall Primary Care Centre on Friday to see the impact on GPs of over-stretched services.

He said Labour would guarentee patients face-to-face appointments with GPs if they want them, as well as doubling the number of medical school places should they be elected to power.

Mr Streeting has previously stopped short of openly supporting the demands of members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) who have voted to strike for the first time in their history asking for a pay rise of five per cent above inflation.

But ahead of the visit, he said he could not condemn nurses for choosing to strike.

Mr Streeting said: “What I’ve been struck by is these strikes aren’t just about pay - they’re fighting for patient safety.

"What I’d be doing right now is getting the RCN around the table, they’re saying there is a deal to be done, that they’re wiling to negotiate – but so far, negotiations haven’t been done. I think that’s negligent and irresponsible.

"I’m not going to condemn nurses for going on strike. I don’t blame them. I blame the Government. Even at this eleventh hour, there are still alternatives.

"If strikes do go ahead, it will be panic stations.”

Mr Streeting also said he believes bringing back family doctors who patients can see every appointment is key to increasing public trust.

There are some 575 fewer GPs across Yorkshire and the Humber today than in 2013, he said, with 6,000 nursing vacancies in the NHS in the North East and Yorkshire.

Labour’s analysis also showed there are more than half a million patients sitting on NHS waiting lists in Yorkshire and the Humber, 22,000 of whom have been waiting more than a year for treatment.

Mr Streeting said: “I don’t mind if I don’t see the same doctor each time. But there are other people with ongoing health conditions or who are older who see continuity of care as really important.

"By giving people like me more flexibility, we can free up time so people who want to see the same doctor can.

"For patients who have ongoing health conditions, it can be exhausting and even embarrassing to go over your medical history again and again.”