By GB News (World News) | Created at 2025-03-15 16:41:06 | Updated at 2025-03-15 22:36:02
6 hours ago
Former Ukip Leader Henry Bolton has launched a fresh attack on the Labour Government following shock new statistics, which have shed light on the shocking impact of the Winter Fuel Allowance cut on pensioners.
According to new data from NHS England, there were 94,760 more attendances at A&E departments by over-65s this winter, in comparison to the previous year.
NHS England data also showed there were 2,186,905 attendances at A&E among over-65s between September 2024 and February 2025 - following the cut to the winter fuel payments.
More than 10 million pensioners have been affected by the scrapping of the £300 benefit, announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
Henry Bolton has hit out at Labour after shock new stats show a surge in pensioners being admitted to A&E
GB News / Getty
The number of people over 65 being admitted to A&E has increased more than 90,000 since the winter fuel payments were cut
PA
Bolton explained: "You try and get a doctor's appointment, and they'll say ring at 8:00 tomorrow morning for an emergency appointment. If you get a routine appointment, you're going to be waiting about eight weeks.
"If you ring 111 and they go through their checklist, you end up with them saying you should go to A&E. So I think we've just got a broken system and people are going to A&E because they've got no other recourse. That's the problem."
Offering some praise to Labour, Bolton "applauded" the Government for their decision to scrap NHS England, but cautioned that the "devil is in the detail" with the move.
Bolton said: "I applaud Labour's move to do away with NHS England and sort of consolidate it. But then again, the devil's in the detail. I don't know exactly what they're planning to do instead.
Bolton told GB News that often Britons 'have no choice' but to go to A&E
GB News
"But maybe there's the potential for the right thing there. So I think the answer is not to increase the capacity, the answer is in diagnosing the problem and where it actually lies."
Sharing his view on the data, commentator Matthew Torbitt claimed that retention of doctors in Britain is depleting due to the "broken social contract" in this country.
Torbitt explained: "The reason I don't see it improving any time soon is the social contract is broken in this country, and we can see either anecdotally or statistically, younger people are leaving in their droves for other countries because they don't see a future here for themselves.
"So why would you train to be a doctor to practice here when you're struggling to get on the housing ladder, when the hours you feel underpaid and overworked, and also, the weather's nicer in Australia."
