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Sir Keir Starmer has hailed a “milestone” in his plan to fix the NHS as figures show an extra two million appointments were delivered during Labour’s first five months in office.
New figures published by NHS England reveal that between July and November 2024, the health service delivered almost 2.2 million more elective care appointments compared with the same period the previous year.
This includes for chemotherapy, radiotherapy, endoscopy, and diagnostic tests, which were possible in part because of staff working extra weekend and evening shifts, the government said.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) also pointed to the end of NHS strikes, extra flu vaccinations and £1.8bn of funding into elective appointments since Labour took office.
The extra appointments come on top of figures last week showing total NHS waiting lists fell in December for the fourth month in a row – though challenges remain in other areas.
The prime minister said: “Two million extra NHS appointments and a waiting list on its way down – we’re delivering on our promise to fix the NHS and make sure people get the care they need, when they need it.
“We said we’d turn this around and that’s exactly what we’re doing – this milestone is a shot in the arm for our plan to get the NHS back on its feet and cut waiting times.”
During the general election campaign, polls suggested the NHS was the second most important issue to voters after the economy.
The extra appointments mean Labour’s manifesto commitment for two million a year was met seven months early.
Labour have also pledged to end hospital…
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