Theresa May rebuked by UK statistics watchdog over NHS Wales criticism

Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones complained to the UK Statistics Authority about the Prime Minister's 'selective misuse' of A&E figures

Theresa May has been rebuked by the statistics watchdog for use of NHS figures (Parliament Live)

The head of the UK statistics watchdog has rebuked Theresa May over her use of NHS waiting times data during Prime Minister’s Questions.

Sir David Norgrove said the Prime Minister's comparisons between A&E waiting times in Wales and England were "not valid" after receiving a complaint from Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones accusing her of "selective misuse" of figures.

Ministers including Ms May have repeatedly focused on the performance of the health service in Labour-run Wales in the face of criticism of their management of the NHS in England.

It is the second time the Government has been called out over its use of statistics, after senior Tory Health Committee chair Sarah Wollaston attacked ministers for "disingenuous" use of figures on the scale of the winter crisis.

Ms May made the comments on January 25 in the Commons, when she responded to questions from Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn about a winter crisis which he said had seen NHS England record its worst-ever A&E waiting time figures.

The Prime Minister said: "If he wants to talk about figures and about targets being missed, yes, the latest figures show that, in England, 497 people were waiting more than 12 hours, but the latest figures also show that, under the Labour Government in Wales, 3,741 people were waiting more than 12 hours."

Hospitals in England measure 12-hour waits from when a doctor has seen the patient and decided they should be admitted, whereas in Wales the clock starts ticking as soon as the patient registers in A&E.

Mr Jones wrote to the UK Statistics Authority (UKSA) to complain of the PM's "misleading" comments, warning: "Selective misuse of statistics like this does not allow for a fair debate on the NHS.

"Research such as the OECD Review of Health Care Quality showed that there was no consistent picture of one nation's health system performing better than another."

Responding to Mr Jones, Sir David said: "You are right to say that the comparison is not valid.

"The figure used for England refers to the accident and emergency wait time from the decision to admit to admission into another part of the health service.

"The figure used for Wales represents the entire time patients wait from arriving to leaving accident and emergency services, including the time from decision to admit to actual admission."

Sir David has previously spoken out against Vote Leave's disputed claim that £350m a week could be diverted to the NHS after Brexit - which has been repeated several times by Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "We would accept the assessment of the UKSA, but the point that the Prime Minister was making - in terms of the fact that the A&E in England performed better than A&E in Wales in relation to this target - still stands."