STEPS taken by the government are helping to bust the backlog and bring down NHS waiting lists in Cornwall according to new figures.

NHS data shows that at Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, almost 2,000 cases have been removed from the NHS waiting list between July and the most recent data in January.

Already, there are 728 fewer patients waiting more than 18 weeks in Cornwall, as the Labour government strives to cut the longest waiting times from 18 months to 18 weeks over the next four years.

Camborne and Redruth MP Perran Moon, South East Cornwall MP Anna Gelderd, Truro and Falmouth MP Jayne Kirkham as well as St Austell and Newquay MP Noah Law have described the figures as a ‘significant step in the right direction for Cornwall’ after waiting lists reached record levels nationally under the Conservatives.

Labour promised to deliver two million more appointments a year as their first step to bring down waiting lists as part of its Plan for Change.

The figures precede both January’s announcement by the Prime Minister and Health Secretary that set out a plan to end waiting list backlogs through millions more appointments.

Labour announced in February that they had hit this target seven months early.

Nationally, waiting lists have fallen for the last five months in a row, dropping by 193,000.

Residents in Cornwall in recent months have joined the national conversation to help shape a new 10 Year Health Plan for England.

The plan will set out how to build an NHS fit for the future, focusing on three shifts to move care from hospitals to community; on preventing sickness, not just treating it; and from an analogue to a digital NHS.

MP Noah Law said: “I am absolutely delighted to see waiting lists falling in Cornwall. Behind these statistics are local residents who have been stuck in pain, for months or even years, on the record NHS waiting lists that rocketed under the Tories.

“Of course, the lists are still too high but day by day they are falling as Labour delivers on their promises for Cornwall.”

MP Anna Gelderd added: “Too many residents in Cornwall are stuck on the record long Tory waiting lists inherited by the Labour Government at huge cost to their health.

“That’s why the reforms announced by Labour to cut NHS waiting times from 18 months to 18 weeks will make such a huge difference. With so many people waiting for treatment, it is more urgent than ever that we reform our NHS so it will always be there for you when you need it.”

MP Perran Moon said: “Whilst Nigel Farage and his mates want to make you pay for healthcare, this Labour Government is rebuilding our NHS so that it is there for you when you need it.

“Because when you fall ill, you should never have to worry about the bill.

“Falling waiting lists for Cornwall: that’s the difference a Labour Government makes.”

MP Jayne Kirkham said: “In the election, we promised residents in Cornwall that Labour would deliver for our NHS and, with falling waiting lists, the proof is in the pudding.

“After 14 years of destruction that the Tories brought upon our NHS, step by step Labour are rebuilding it fit for the future.”

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “The investment and reform this government has introduced has already cut NHS waiting lists by 193,000, but there is much more to do.

“I am determined to transform health and social care so it works better for patients, including in Cornwall – but also because I know that transformation can help drag our economy out of the sluggish productivity and poor growth of recent years.

“We have to get more out of the NHS for what we put in.

“As we boost NHS productivity and deliver fundamental reform through our Plan for Change, you will see improvements across the service in the coming weeks and months.”