Wes Streeting’s tenure as health secretary was marked by a relentless media campaign portraying him as a reformer fixing a ‘broken’ NHS, but critics argue he failed to deliver substantive change. In his resignation letter to Keir Starmer, Streeting highlighted achievements such as the biggest monthly drop in waiting times since 2008 and the fastest ambulance response times in five years. However, he omitted persistent failures, including cancer treatment delays and stalled reviews on maternity and mental health care.
Sarah Woolnough, chief executive of the King’s Fund, acknowledged Streeting’s energy and policy output but questioned whether implementation matched the rhetoric. A former NHS executive noted that despite years as shadow health secretary, Streeting had no detailed plan for transforming the NHS and social care, calling his record ‘wanting’ on substance. One hospital trust chief executive was blunt: ‘Wes talked a lot … but not effective.’
A Labour MP with NHS experience accused Streeting of prioritising headlines over patient care, citing tactics like stripping patients from waiting lists to mask true figures. They claimed no improvement in NHS accessibility over two years. Siva Anandaciva of the King’s Fund noted Streeting inherited a difficult hand: a stagnating economy, post-Covid recovery, and industrial action.
Streeting can point to the Tobacco and Vapes Act, a junk food advertising ban, and a 10-year health plan based on ‘three big shifts’. Yet the plan lacked an implementation chapter. Critics say he kicked difficult cans down the road, including a social care inquiry due in 2028, leaving urgent challenges unaddressed.
