Fact checks about waiting lists, unpaid overtime and availability of health care services
Health
The health minister Maria Caulfield said that NHS England waiting times were falling “drastically”. The latest data does not support this. Read
Health
Rishi Sunak says the government’s “cutting waiting lists”. That’s true in the case of some specific NHS waiting lists, but not for the main list overall. Read
Health
This widely reported figure is an estimate, based on several assumptions that may not be right. Read
Health
Maria Caulfield told Parliament that an ambulance service support contract was “procured”—not that “we are procuring” it, as she later claimed. NHS England says this contract has not yet been awarded. Read
Health
The GPs who responded were the ones who knew about the survey and chose to participate—who are not necessarily representative of GPs as a whole. Read
A social media post incorrectly claims that a letter written to The Times was from a doctor who died in 2016. Read
Health
There are some important caveats to figures showing GP appointments drop off later in the week. Read
Health
Labour claims that the Budget took £30bn out of day to day health spending, this is true if you include the withdrawal of last year’s Covid money. Read
Health
NHS staff survey data suggests the average respondent in 2019 worked around two hours unpaid overtime. Even this should be taken with a pinch of salt. Read
Health
Type 2 diabetes sufferers make up one in 10 hospital admissions in England but a small fraction were admitted for type 2 diabetes as the main diagnosis. Read
