Health Secretary Wes Streeting says ‘every extra appointment we’ve delivered represents someone getting their life back on track’
The NHS in England is carrying out 100,000 more appointments a week now than it was under the previous Tory government.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting announced an extra 4.2 million appointments took place in the first nine months since the General Election when compared to the same period the previous year. This more than double the target Labour had set to deliver two million extra NHS appointments in the first year. Mr Streeting said: “Every extra appointment we’ve delivered represents someone getting their life back on track. A parent no longer in pain, a worker returning to their job, an elderly person regaining their independence.
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“What’s remarkable is that we’re seeing progress faster than expected. We’ve delivered 4.2 million extra elective appointments in the nine months since July – more than double our target of two million in the first year.
“This didn’t happen by accident. With proper investment and proper reform, we’re changing how care is delivered.”
The NHS waiting list in England has come down to its lowest for two years but still stood at 7.39 million treatments waiting to be carried out at the end of April
New NHS data also shows 6,700 more mental health workers have now been recruited since July 2024. This is 79% of the way to the Government’s 8,500 target.
Mr Streeting said: “Not getting the right support for your mental health isn’t just debilitating, it can hit a painful pause button on your life – stopping you working, enjoying time with family and friends, or living day-to-day life. Patients have faced the crisis of access to mental health services for far too long.
“We are already over halfway towards our target of recruiting 8,500 extra mental health workers, and through our upcoming 10 Year Health Plan we will get more people back to health and back to work.”
Since last year’s General Election the incoming Labour government has increased NHS spending by £26 billion and ended NHS strikes which had been hampering the service after a decade-long funding squeeze under the Tories.
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Mr Streeting added: “When there’s so much cynicism in politics going round, I’m proud that this is a government that delivers on its promises. We promised to cut NHS waiting lists, and we’re delivering. We said we’d hire 1,000 new GPs, and we’ve recruited over 1,500. We pledged to make our NHS fit for the future and we’ve invested £26 billion just this year to start making that a reality.
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“We’re bringing services closer to communities, giving patients more control over their treatment and boosting digital innovations so the NHS works better for everyone.
“The journey to getting our NHS back on its feet will take time, but these early results show we’re on the right path. It’s only this government that can be trusted to rebuild our NHS and make it fit for the future.”