NHS performance and satisfaction

Fact checks about the reported quality of the NHS, waiting lists and quality of care

18 September 2023

NHS in England not paying out £8 billion a year in maternity negligence compensation

A Times column claimed the NHS in England paid more than double its £3 billion maternity budget in maternity clinical negligence payments. But last year these payments totalled just £1.1 …

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NHS in England not paying out £8 billion a year in maternity negligence compensation
8 September 2023

How many people died while on waiting lists?

Apparently contradictory research from Labour and the Times suggests that either 121,000 or 340,000 people died while waiting for treatment in England last year.

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How many people died while on waiting lists?
9 August 2023

Data doesn’t seem to back up PM’s claim that A&E waits are ‘the best in two years’

Rishi Sunak claimed A&E waiting times are at their best in two years. But experts say this is hard to reconcile with public data, which shows that June 2023 was …

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Data doesn’t seem to back up PM’s claim that A&E waits are ‘the best in two years’
11 July 2023

No clear evidence of a significant fall in average waiting times

The health minister Maria Caulfield said that NHS England waiting times were falling “drastically”. The latest data does not support this.

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No clear evidence of a significant fall in average waiting times
14 June 2023

The overall NHS waiting list continues to rise

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.

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The overall NHS waiting list continues to rise
23 January 2023

How many excess deaths are A&E delays causing?

Earlier this month the Royal College of Emergency Medicine estimated delays are causing 300-500 deaths a week - but NHS leaders say they “don’t recognise these numbers”.

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How many excess deaths are A&E delays causing?
14 December 2022

Labour’s analysis on five million ‘denied’ GP appointments fact checked

This widely reported figure is an estimate, based on several assumptions that may not be right.

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Labour’s analysis on five million ‘denied’ GP appointments fact checked
9 May 2022

NHS dentists are still operating in Somerset

A headline suggesting otherwise is not accurate. There is a reported shortage of appointments for new NHS patients, however.

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NHS dentists are still operating in Somerset
20 October 2021

Two doctors with same name cause Times letter confusion

A social media post incorrectly claims that a letter written to The Times was from a doctor who died in 2016.

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Two doctors with same name cause Times letter confusion
13 October 2021

Daily Mail report on GPs seeing fewer patients on Fridays needs more context

There are some important caveats to figures showing GP appointments drop off later in the week.

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Daily Mail report on GPs seeing fewer patients on Fridays needs more context

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