Wes Streeting says Labour has been too nostalgic about NHS as he argues it needs reform not extra money – UK politics live

The shadow health secretary’s speech will be an attack on ‘waste’ in the NHS and say Labour will make it more efficient

In his Sun interview today Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, is argues that the NHS needs reform more than it needs extra money. (See 9.26am.) One (seemingly obvious and easy) reform would be to waste less, and in the overnight preview of his speech Labour identifies “waste” in the NHS worth billions of pounds that it suggests could be eliminated. It cites these five examples.

£1.7 billion cost of hospital beds for patients who are well enough to leave, but can’t because there is no care available in the community

£3.5 billion paid to recruitment agencies because the Conservatives have failed to train enough staff over the last 14 years

With a government that understands the value of public money, that is brave enough to reform the NHS, that knows prevention is better than cure, the crisis in the health service can be turned around.

I am focusing on waste because I want to give the public hope that the NHS can be saved. The money that is wasted today can be used to get the NHS back on its feet tomorrow. Only Labour has a plan to reform the NHS.

This morning DPD text-messaged to tell me this parcel was being delivered, they gave my slot and gave me the opportunity to change it.

Why is it that with the NHS you can’t turn around and say, ‘Actually, that isn’t convenient, I need to change it?’ Or you think, ‘Oh, shit, I forgot about that’.