NHS staff

Fact checks including NHS staff levels and NHS pay

5 September 2023

Wes Streeting column claiming 5,000 drop in GPs over last decade amended

Mr Streeting wrote that there were almost 5,000 fewer fully qualified GPs than a decade ago, but NHS England says the data pre-September 2015 is not comparable to current figures.

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Wes Streeting column claiming 5,000 drop in GPs over last decade amended
26 July 2023

NHS consultants are not demanding a 35% pay rise

There’s been widespread confusion in the media about the demands made by striking senior doctors. Their union has confirmed that they are campaigning for an above inflation uplift, but not …

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NHS consultants are not demanding a 35% pay rise
21 July 2023

NHS Professionals was not sold off by David Cameron

The staff bank NHS Professionals became a company in 2010, but it is still wholly owned by the Department of Health and Social Care.

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NHS Professionals was not sold off by David Cameron
21 July 2023

How many doctors are moving to Australia?

We looked into viral claims and figures cited by the Prime Minister about how many doctors move to Australia and how many stay in the NHS.

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How many doctors are moving to Australia?
17 July 2023

It does not cost the public £500,000 to train a doctor

It may cost nearly half a million to train a surgeon, but not any doctor, as the former health minister also said. It also does not look likely that almost …

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It does not cost the public £500,000 to train a doctor
12 July 2023

Money spent on Test and Trace couldn’t fund 15% NHS pay increase for 35 years

A resurfaced claim that the money spent on the Test and Trace scheme would pay for a 15% pay rise for health service staff until 2058 is incorrect.

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Money spent on Test and Trace couldn’t fund 15% NHS pay increase for 35 years
7 July 2023

NHS data doesn’t show 27,000 quit the health service for work-life balance reasons

The Observer reported that 27,546 staff had quit the NHS in England in 2022 citing work-life balance reasons, but the figures include staff moving to other health service jobs.

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NHS data doesn’t show 27,000 quit the health service for work-life balance reasons
3 July 2023

Diane Abbott understated pay of NHS England boss

The MP said that Amanda Pritchard earns £86,000. But her annual earnings in 2021/22 were actually more like £255,000.

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Diane Abbott understated pay of NHS England boss
8 June 2023

NHS dentist statistics don’t support PM’s claim that there are over 500 more ‘this year’

Rishi Sunak claimed NHS dentist numbers have increased by more than 500 “this year” compared with “last year”—but he appears to have been quoting figures for 2021/22.

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NHS dentist statistics don’t support PM’s claim that there are over 500 more ‘this year’
17 May 2023

Would a 35% pay uplift for junior doctors cost £1 billion or £2 billion?

A Labour MP quoted BMA figures claiming junior doctor “pay restoration” would cost £1 billion, but the health secretary said it would cost £2 billion.

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Would a 35% pay uplift for junior doctors cost £1 billion or £2 billion?

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