Dear Sir Robert,

I am writing to raise concerns about the possible misrepresentation of official NHS statistics by the Government in relation to its pledge to deliver two million extra appointments.

In February 2025, Health Secretary Wes Streeting announced that the Government had not only met its pledge early but had achieved a “massive increase” in NHS activity, citing 3.6 million additional appointments in their first eight months. This figure has since been widely used by ministers and Labour MPs as evidence of substantial progress.

Data obtained through a Freedom of Information request by the independent fact-checking charity Full Fact, however, shows the opposite: new NHS activity has slowed under this government.

The Nuffield Trust have described the two million target as “very modest”, while the Institute for Fiscal Studies said it was smaller than the annual growth in demand pressures forecast by the Government. In fact, it represents less than a 3% increase in activity. These facts directly contradict the narrative of an impressive ramping up of activity.

Additionally, the Government failed for months to define how it was measuring appointments or what baseline it was using, hindering independent verification. Only after the announcement that the pledge had been met did ministers release a partial definition, still without the baseline figures needed to properly assess performance.

The presentation of this data as a substantial acceleration in NHS delivery, without context or full transparency, appears to mislead the public about the true state of progress. I therefore ask that you investigate the Government’s statements regarding NHS appointment statistics, and offer your guidance on whether they accurately reflect the underlying data and trends.

I look forward to your response.

Yours sincerely,
Helen Morgan MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Health and Care

 

Related links

Letter from Sir Robert Chote to Helen Morgan MP – NHS appointment statistics