Labour’s NHS Appointment Claims Challenged by New Data and Public Sentiment

[Social Media]

 

Labour’s NHS Appointment Claims Challenged by New Data and Public Sentiment

 

Keir Starmer’s Labour government has hailed its early efforts to reduce NHS waiting times as a significant success, highlighting what it describes as a “massive increase” in appointments. However, newly obtained data suggests the reality may not be as impressive as ministers claim, and public opinion seems to echo that skepticism.

 

 

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has repeatedly pointed to an increase of 3.6 million additional NHS appointments during Labour’s first eight months in power, exceeding the party’s original target of two million extra appointments within their first year. Yet the independent fact-checking charity Full Fact, in data shared exclusively with Sky News, found this increase actually marked a slowdown in NHS activity. During the same eight-month period under the previous Conservative government, the NHS recorded a larger increase of 4.2 million appointments.

 

 

According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), Labour's target itself was never particularly ambitious. The IFS noted the additional two million appointments represent less than a 3% increase compared to the 70 million carried out in the year to June 2024. In contrast, the final year of Rishi Sunak’s government saw a 10% rise, with the year before that seeing an 8% increase. Sarah Scobie, deputy director of the Nuffield Trust, called the two million target “very modest,” warning it “won’t come close to bringing the treatment waiting list back to pre-pandemic levels, or to meeting longer-term NHS targets.”

 

 

Labour's manifesto pledge stated it would deliver “an extra two million NHS operations, scans, and appointments every year.” However, the government repeatedly failed to define how this would be measured. “We didn’t know how they were defining these appointments,” said Leo Benedictus of Full Fact. “When they said that there would be more of them, we didn’t know what there would be more of.”

 

When Labour finally claimed the target had been met in February, they released a definition that excluded maternity and mental health services but included elective operations, outpatient appointments, and diagnostic tests. Even then, the increase was measured only by comparing a five-month snapshot from July to November 2024 with the same period in 2023, adjusted for working days. This left experts uncertain whether Labour’s claim represented new progress or simply a continuation—or even deceleration—of existing trends.

 

To obtain the full context, Full Fact had to submit a Freedom of Information request. “We asked them for that information. They didn’t publish it. We didn’t have it,” Benedictus explained. “And when that came back about a month later, it was fascinating.”

 

In response to the criticism, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “On entering office last July, the secretary of state was advised that the fiscal black hole meant elective appointments would have to be cut by 20,000 every week. Instead, this government provided the extra investment and has already delivered 3.6 million additional appointments.”

 

They also noted that more patients are now being seen within 18 weeks and that the waiting list has dropped by over 200,000 in nine months—over five times the reduction achieved during the same period the previous year.

 

Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt expressed disappointment: “What these numbers seem to show is that the rate of appointments was going up by more in the last government than it is by this government. That’s really disappointing when you look at the crisis in the NHS.”

 

Public sentiment reflects this disappointment. A YouGov poll for Sky News found that 39% of people think the NHS has worsened over the past year, with only 12% saying it has improved. Only 30% of respondents said they trust Keir Starmer on NHS issues, though this still compares favorably to Nigel Farage (21%) and Kemi Badenoch (16%). Edward Argar, the Conservative shadow health secretary, dismissed Labour’s claims as a “weak attempt […] to claim credit for something that was already happening.”

 

Despite some signs of progress, such as a decline in those waiting over a year for treatment—from nearly 400,000 in August 2023 to 180,242 in the latest figures—the backlog remains historically high. More than 6.25 million people are currently waiting for a total of 7.42 million treatments, meaning over one in ten people in England are on the NHS waiting list.

 

The government has committed to ensuring that no more than 8% of patients wait longer than 18 weeks by the next election. Currently, more than 40% are still waiting beyond that threshold. While the Labour government may have technically met its stated target, the broader context and pace of NHS recovery suggest much more needs to be done.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from Sky News  2025-05-26

 

 

[newbee2022]

4 hours ago, Social Media said:

 

Labour’s NHS Appointment Claims Challenged by New Data and Public Sentiment

 

Keir Starmer’s Labour government has hailed its early efforts to reduce NHS waiting times as a significant success, highlighting what it describes as a “massive increase” in appointments. However, newly obtained data suggests the reality may not be as impressive as ministers claim, and public opinion seems to echo that skepticism.

 

 

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has repeatedly pointed to an increase of 3.6 million additional NHS appointments during Labour’s first eight months in power, exceeding the party’s original target of two million extra appointments within their first year. Yet the independent fact-checking charity Full Fact, in data shared exclusively with Sky News, found this increase actually marked a slowdown in NHS activity. During the same eight-month period under the previous Conservative government, the NHS recorded a larger increase of 4.2 million appointments.

 

 

According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), Labour's target itself was never particularly ambitious. The IFS noted the additional two million appointments represent less than a 3% increase compared to the 70 million carried out in the year to June 2024. In contrast, the final year of Rishi Sunak’s government saw a 10% rise, with the year before that seeing an 8% increase. Sarah Scobie, deputy director of the Nuffield Trust, called the two million target “very modest,” warning it “won’t come close to bringing the treatment waiting list back to pre-pandemic levels, or to meeting longer-term NHS targets.”

 

 

Labour's manifesto pledge stated it would deliver “an extra two million NHS operations, scans, and appointments every year.” However, the government repeatedly failed to define how this would be measured. “We didn’t know how they were defining these appointments,” said Leo Benedictus of Full Fact. “When they said that there would be more of them, we didn’t know what there would be more of.”

 

When Labour finally claimed the target had been met in February, they released a definition that excluded maternity and mental health services but included elective operations, outpatient appointments, and diagnostic tests. Even then, the increase was measured only by comparing a five-month snapshot from July to November 2024 with the same period in 2023, adjusted for working days. This left experts uncertain whether Labour’s claim represented new progress or simply a continuation—or even deceleration—of existing trends.

 

To obtain the full context, Full Fact had to submit a Freedom of Information request. “We asked them for that information. They didn’t publish it. We didn’t have it,” Benedictus explained. “And when that came back about a month later, it was fascinating.”

 

In response to the criticism, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “On entering office last July, the secretary of state was advised that the fiscal black hole meant elective appointments would have to be cut by 20,000 every week. Instead, this government provided the extra investment and has already delivered 3.6 million additional appointments.”

 

They also noted that more patients are now being seen within 18 weeks and that the waiting list has dropped by over 200,000 in nine months—over five times the reduction achieved during the same period the previous year.

 

Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt expressed disappointment: “What these numbers seem to show is that the rate of appointments was going up by more in the last government than it is by this government. That’s really disappointing when you look at the crisis in the NHS.”

 

Public sentiment reflects this disappointment. A YouGov poll for Sky News found that 39% of people think the NHS has worsened over the past year, with only 12% saying it has improved. Only 30% of respondents said they trust Keir Starmer on NHS issues, though this still compares favorably to Nigel Farage (21%) and Kemi Badenoch (16%). Edward Argar, the Conservative shadow health secretary, dismissed Labour’s claims as a “weak attempt […] to claim credit for something that was already happening.”

 

Despite some signs of progress, such as a decline in those waiting over a year for treatment—from nearly 400,000 in August 2023 to 180,242 in the latest figures—the backlog remains historically high. More than 6.25 million people are currently waiting for a total of 7.42 million treatments, meaning over one in ten people in England are on the NHS waiting list.

 

The government has committed to ensuring that no more than 8% of patients wait longer than 18 weeks by the next election. Currently, more than 40% are still waiting beyond that threshold. While the Labour government may have technically met its stated target, the broader context and pace of NHS recovery suggest much more needs to be done.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from Sky News  2025-05-26

 

 

In the 80' I flew in to UK for weekend work in NHS hospitals. 

The waiting time for knie or hip operations was frightening, more than 6 months, sometimes 1 year. 

So Sir Keir is improving the situation!

Thank you.❤️

[JonnyF]

Nobody believes a word Starmer says. 

[Gsxrnz]

I never understood the reasoning behind allowing a government department to decide if and when you receive medical attention, or whether you live or die.

 

There are just some things that an individual should fiscally take care of themselves. 

[JonnyF]

2 minutes ago, Gsxrnz said:

I never understood the reasoning behind allowing a government department to decide if and when you receive medical attention, or whether you live or die.

 

There are just some things that an individual should fiscally take care of themselves. 

 

The NHS is a poorly run money pit.

 

Unfit for purpose.

 

Another excuse to take money from the citizens of the country and spaff it up the wall. 

[Chomper Higgot]

17 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

 

The NHS is a poorly run money pit.

 

Unfit for purpose.

 

Another excuse to take money from the citizens of the country and spaff it up the wall. 

Don’t knock it Jonny, you wouldn’t be the first British expat to be on the plane home if ever you get seriously ill.

 

Many British expats in Thailand don’t have health insurance, their backstop is a flight home, their adventures here effectively underwritten by the NHS.

[JonnyF]

31 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Don’t knock it Jonny, you wouldn’t be the first British expat to be on the plane home if ever you get seriously ill.

 

No chance. I'd want an appointment before I died so I'd stay well clear of the NHS and go private here in Thailand.

 

31 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

 

Many British expats in Thailand don’t have health insurance, their backstop is a flight home, their adventures here effectively underwritten by the NHS.

 

I wouldn't know (I self insure and would never rely on the NHS), but I thought there were rules about NHS access for people who'd been overseas for many years. 

[BritManToo]

5 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

I wouldn't know (I self insure and would never rely on the NHS), but I thought there were rules about NHS access for people who'd been overseas for many years. 

That's only if you tell them you've been overseas.

Same as pension increases.

[JonnyF]

2 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

That's only if you tell them you've been overseas.

Same as pension increases.

 

Yeah well that's a bit like saying you only have to pay income tax if you tell them you earned the money.

 

I'd be questioning my choices in life if I found myself having to lie in order to access the NHS's haphazard/substandard healthcare services. 

[sandyf]

1 hour ago, newbee2022 said:

In the 80' I flew in to UK for weekend work in NHS hospitals. 

The waiting time for knie or hip operations was frightening, more than 6 months, sometimes 1 year. 

So Sir Keir is improving the situation!

Thank you.❤️

A frend of mine needed a hip replacement last year.

He was told at least 2-3 years, he paid the £12K and went private.

Another 90 year old friend fell and broke his hip about a year ago. he was in hospital 10 days and then sent to a care home for a week to get physio before going home. Took all the furniture out of the lounge and put in a hospital bed and commode.

He was told the physio people would attend in a week, took about 3 months, all initial work had been lost.

Delusional to think it is improving.

[BritManToo]

Just now, JonnyF said:

 

Yeah well that's a bit like saying you only have to pay income tax if you tell them you earned the money.

 

I'd be questioning my choices in life if I found myself having to lie in order to access the NHS's haphazard/substandard healthcare services. 

Your employer and bank tell the government you have earned money.

No need for you to inform anyone of anything.

[Chomper Higgot]

20 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

 

No chance. I'd want an appointment before I died so I'd stay well clear of the NHS and go private here in Thailand.

 

 

I wouldn't know (I self insure and would never rely on the NHS), but I thought there were rules about NHS access for people who'd been overseas for many years. 

Self insure LOL.

[proton]

1 hour ago, newbee2022 said:

In the 80' I flew in to UK for weekend work in NHS hospitals. 

The waiting time for knie or hip operations was frightening, more than 6 months, sometimes 1 year. 

So Sir Keir is improving the situation!

Thank you.❤️

 

Tried to get an appt to see GP last month, go into surgery they tell you to phone up, never got through after 35 mins. Used NHS app to get one- got appt to see a nurse in 6 weeks time. In the 80's I could get to see a GP the same day!

[proton]

58 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Don’t knock it Jonny, you wouldn’t be the first British expat to be on the plane home if ever you get seriously ill.

 

Many British expats in Thailand don’t have health insurance, their backstop is a flight home, their adventures here effectively underwritten by the NHS.

 

Good luck with that these days

[JonnyF]

12 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Your employer and bank tell the government you have earned money.

No need for you to inform anyone of anything.

 

Not if you are self employed. 

[JonnyF]

7 minutes ago, proton said:

 

Tried to get an appt to see GP last month, go into surgery they tell you to phone up, never got through after 35 mins. Used NHS app to get one- got appt to see a nurse in 6 weeks time. In the 80's I could get to see a GP the same day!

 

Yeah my mother has had a few minor health issues recently, takes several weeks to get an appointment and even then it's usually a Zoom call.

 

They don't seem to like people turning up at the surgery 'face to face".  

[newbee2022]

17 minutes ago, proton said:

 

Tried to get an appt to see GP last month, go into surgery they tell you to phone up, never got through after 35 mins. Used NHS app to get one- got appt to see a nurse in 6 weeks time. In the 80's I could get to see a GP the same day!

Maybe, but it was quite different for surgeries as I mentioned

[newbee2022]

29 minutes ago, sandyf said:

A frend of mine needed a hip replacement last year.

He was told at least 2-3 years, he paid the £12K and went private.

Another 90 year old friend fell and broke his hip about a year ago. he was in hospital 10 days and then sent to a care home for a week to get physio before going home. Took all the furniture out of the lounge and put in a hospital bed and commode.

He was told the physio people would attend in a week, took about 3 months, all initial work had been lost.

Delusional to think it is improving.

Haste makes waste 😂

[Chomper Higgot]

29 minutes ago, proton said:

 

Good luck with that these days

There’s a member of this forum who in the last year posted his experiences of going home to get NHS treatment, it’s not at all uncommon.

[impulse]

49 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

That's only if you tell them you've been overseas.

Same as pension increases.

 

That works great.  Until they catch you.

 

I recall some recent threads where someone posted the legal requirements to report being overseas.