NHS chief Simon Stevens: 'We are not abandoning short waits for operations'

NHS England's chief executive Simon Stevens has insisted the service is "not giving up" on short waits for non-urgent operations.

His comments, in an interview with ITV News, come despite today's announcement that the NHS is shelving its 18-week target to for pre-planned operations and that the target of seeing 95% of A&E patients within four hours will not apply next year.

Asked by ITV News presenter Julie Etchingham if it was a "mark of shame that he was abandoning the target for people in pain" on waiting lists, he denied that was the case.

"We are not abandoning the idea that we want very short waits for operations - routine, non-urgent - operations on the NHS," he said.

However, Mr Stevens admitted priority would be placed on A&E, cancer, mental health and GP access before waiting times for "less urgent conditions" were addressed.

He added: "What we're saying is for the next year, the most important things that the NHS have got to get right and improve on will be A&E services and cancer and mental health and being able to see your family doctor, and we - having got those things right - then want to make sure that we're also making further progress on our waiting times for less urgent conditions."

Mr Stevens conceded that the service is facing "real pressure" but refused to blame Prime Minister Theresa May or the Government for any funding issues.

"The budget of the NHS is growing, it's growing modestly, but it is growing ... and we make no apology for saying we really want to continue to raise our game and offer the best possible care [for cancer and mental health]."

He added: "The NHS has to take the funding that the country gives us."