PMQs: Theresa May defends NHS spending after Jeremy Corbyn accuses Government of ‘starving’ social care services
Prime Minister says the Government is giving the NHS more than they asked for as Labour leader argues social care funding promised is a "drop in the ocean" to what is needed
THERESA MAY defended Government spending on the NHS today as Jeremy Corbyn accused her of "starving" social care services.
Speaking at PMQs ahead of Chancellor Philip Hammond's first Autumn Statement, the Prime Minister said Labour had 13 years to properly fund it, but "they did nothing".
The Labour leader said that NHS savings plans "hide £22bn of cuts", but Mrs May hit back, saying that any savings would be reinvested into the health service.
"It is this Government that is providing not just the extra £8bn requested by the NHS but £10bn of extra funding requested by the NHS," she said.
Mr Corbyn added that a "crisis" in social care had led to increased A&E admissions, and pensioners must be looked after better.
He even defended the record of Tony Blair and the last Labour Government, and said that "levels of satisfaction with the NHS were at their highest ever in 2010".
Mrs May said the Government had introduced measures to help social care, and went on to reel a list of Labour promises to help do more when they were in government.
"I recognise the importance of caring for elderly people and providing them the dignity they deserve," she added.
"Which govt is it that has put the triple lock in place for pensioners, that's ensured the largest increase in pensions for elderly people?"
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The Labour leader also slammed new plans from the Government that patients should have to show a passport when they attend A&E, in an attempt to crack down on health tourism.
He pointed out that 9 million people in the UK did not have a passport, and the policy was "divisive and impractical".
The Prime Minister defended the move, which is thought to save around £200 million each year.
"For many years there has been a concern about health tourism, about people turning up in the UK accessing health services and not paying for them," she said.
Mr Corbyn finished by listing a number of worrying statistics
“The reality is under this Government there are 6,000 fewer mental health nurses, there are 3.9m people on NHS waiting lists; all of us who visit A&E departments know the stress the staff are under and waiting lines are getting longer and longer... Instead of looking for excuses and scapegoats, shouldn’t the PM be ensuring that health and social care are properly funded?” he said.
Mrs May defended the Government's commitment to the NHS and billions spend on improving services.
"We can only afford to pay for the NHS and social care if we have a strong economy creating wealth and that's precisely what he's going to hear from the Chancellor of the Exchequer in a few minutes' time!