Man in agony for 8 hours on stretcher asks Sunak brutal NHS query

Rishi Sunak faced a rough ride from medics in the audience at the Sky News debate – including one who was forced to wait 8 hours in pain on a stretcher.

Humza from Horsham told the Prime Minister: “As a proud member of staff in the NHS and a patient I’ve seen first hand the chronic effects of underfunding and staff shortages, especially post Brexit.

“Recruitment and retention is very difficult and staff are burnt out with waiting lists seeming to never end . I’ve personally experienced being left on a stretcher for 8 hours while in pain – just in the corridor.”

He asked how the PM could convince him that “you can restore our NHS to an institution we can be proud of.”

Mr Sunak opened his reply by telling Humza he comes from an NHS family – and insisting he’s put record funding into it.

“But your point is the right one, what we’ve not done for decades is train enough staff.”

He said the NHS Workforce plan – developed by the NHS and rubber stamped by his government – was the right thing to do.

Humza came back, telling the PM there “wasn’t a plan” after Brexit to fill shortages.

He said a close family member was left waiting for weeks for a ventilator during Covid – and they are now suffering from long Covid.

He blamed the pressure on the NHS, in part, on Boris Johnson being too late to introduce lockdowns – and Mr Sunak being too quick to open up again.

He said: “You say you come from an NHS background and you have this instilled value of caring for the NHS – how are you going to do that if you try and undermine it at every level?”

Mr Sunak said Humza he was wrong – and his government had been putting record money into the health service.

But when he touted his government’s idea of Community Diagnostic Hubs, another audience member shouted at the PM that staff were in such short supply they wouldn’t make a difference.

“Building another building that’s moving it from another hospital is not going to cure the problem,” she said.

Mr Sunak insisted recruitment was increasing – but said he “respectfully disagreed” with her.