Patients will still be waiting on trolleys and in hospital corridors this winter, says Health Secretary Wes Streeting.
But he said NHS waiting lists would “tumble” by millions by 2029 when the next general election is set to be held.
Asked if people will be waiting on trolleys this winter, he told Sky News: “They are today and they will be this winter and I don’t think that is acceptable.
“I’m working as hard and as fast as I can to stop that situation.”
He added: “What you will get from me in the coming years is someone who is upfront about the challenges, isn’t going to stick their head in the sand or pretend there aren’t problems, so there will be people waiting on trolleys and in corridors this winter.”
But he stressed that the extra investment in the Budget on Wednesday would “arrest the decline in the NHS and start turning things around”.
He emphasised: “That doesn’t mean it’s going to be an easy winter.
“But we are better prepared for this winter than we were last winter and the winter before because of the steps that we have already taken,” he argued.
He stressed special teams were going into hospitals this week to cut waiting lists where they were highest, with high levels of staff off sick.
“So, we can finally start seeing waiting lists tumble rather than increase in the way that we have seen under the Conservatives,” he added.
He stressed that the aim was to see the waiting time standard fall to 18 weeks from referral to treatment as under the last Labour government.
“That’s a tough target, but it’s one we’re determined to achieve. That will necessarily mean NHS waiting lists being millions lower by the next general election,” he added, though stopping short of putting a more detailed timetable to reduce delays.
Mr Streeting has said the NHS is “not just on its knees, it’s on its face” and that though the Chancellor is prioritising the health service, a single Budget will not turn it around.
The Chancellor is expected to pump billions of pounds into the health service, including £1.5 billion for new surgical hubs and scanners and £70 million for radiotherapy machines.
An additional £1.8 billion has been allocated for elective appointments since July and the Treasury indicated “billions of pounds” would be invested in technology to help boost productivity across the health service.
Asked if the Budget would “fix the NHS”, Ms Reeves said: “I don’t think in one Budget you can undo 14 years of damage, but in this Budget we’re going to provide the resource necessary to deliver on our manifesto commitment to 40,000 additional appointments every single week, to reduce the huge backlog and as well as the increase in the capital budget to take it to its highest level since 2010 to invest in the new scanners and the radiography equipment.”
Speaking at St George’s Hospital in Tooting, south London, she said staff were using equipment purchased under the last Labour government which should have been replaced.
A Conservative Party spokesman said: “We delivered record funding, overhauled productivity and delivered the first NHS Long Term Workforce Plan to support the health service recover from the pandemic and respond to a growing and ageing population.
“If Labour are serious about ensuring the NHS delivers for patients, they must continue this reform instead of holding yet further consultations. The Health Secretary promised no more money without reform - but where is it?”
