Wes Streeting’s 22 months as health secretary were marked by a relentless media blitz, portraying him as a dynamic reformer clearing up the mess inherited from the Conservatives. He repeatedly declared the NHS “broken” and later claimed it was “on the road to recovery,” a phrase he included in his resignation letter to Keir Starmer on Thursday.
In his letter, Streeting highlighted achievements such as surpassing the target for reducing waiting times for planned hospital treatment, with the biggest monthly drop outside of Covid since 2008. He also noted that ambulance response times for strokes and heart attacks were the fastest in five years, and A&E waiting times were improving, with four-hour figures also the best in five years.
However, critics argue this was a highly selective account. There was no mention of waiting times for urgent cancer treatment, which remain far off target, or the many reviews he commissioned into longstanding problems such as maternity care, mental health demand, and social care—the latter not due to report until 2028. Sarah Woolnough, chief executive of the King’s Fund, said Streeting was “full of energy” but questioned whether there was equal focus on implementing the 10-year health plan.
A former NHS executive said Streeting had “no detailed plan” for transforming the NHS and social care despite being shadow health secretary before the 2024 election. They added: “He will be remembered as someone who told a good story, but the substance of his record will be shown to be wanting.” One hospital trust chief executive was blunter: “Wes talked a lot … but not effective,” crediting NHS England chief Jim Mackey for any progress.
A fellow Labour MP who worked in the NHS was even more critical, accusing Streeting of “chasing headlines” and “entering fights with doctors” rather than improving patient care. They said: “Ask 100 people today if the NHS is more accessible than two years ago and they’ll all tell you ‘no’.”
Streeting can point to the passage of the Tobacco and Vapes Act, a ban on junk food advertising before 9pm, and the publication of an ambitious 10-year health plan. But the plan lacked a chapter on implementation, and Siva Anandaciva of the King’s Fund noted Streeting faced a “bad hand” including a stagnating economy and industrial action.
