Yorkshire MPs back campaign for NHS 'convention'

Labour’s Caroline Flint and Clive Betts have joined Liberal Democrats’ Nick Clegg and Greg Mulholland among more than 20 MPs behind a statement warning the NHS and social care system are “under unsustainable strain” and “we will see failures of care”.

“A system designed to meet the needs of the population of this country in the 1940s is in need of renewal.

“It is not our intention to seek to blame any particular government or political party. Our aim is to find a sustainable solution that will have genuine cross-party support for the future,” the statement says.

Former health secretaries Alan Milburn and Stephen Dorrell along with Sarah Wollaston, the Conservative chairman of the Commons health select committee and herself a GP, are among the other signatories.

Liberal Democrat health spokesman Norman Lamb, who is co-ordinating the campaign, said: “The public is sick and tired of the NHS and care system being treated like a political football. People have had enough, and are crying out for an honest discussion and bold solutions to these challenges.

“It speaks volumes that so many Members of Parliament from across the political spectrum are backing this initiative. At Prime Minister’s Questions, I will urge Theresa May to recognise the gravity of the situation we are facing, and to agree to meet with us to listen to our proposal.”

The pressure on the Government over the state of the health service rose further yesterday as data from NHS Digital showed a huge jump in the number of long waits among those aged 70 and over at A&E - from 34,088 in 2013/14 to 88,252 in 2015/16.

Among all ages, there were 185,017 waits of 12 hours or more in 2015/16 - up from 157,895 the year before and from 87,213 in 2013/14.

A Downing Street spokeswoman said: “It is not unusual to see particular pressures on the NHS during a winter period.

“Because of the action that the Government has been taking, we approached this winter period with over 1,600 more doctors and 3,000 more nurses than just a year ago.”