Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting, has ordered a full and independent investigation into the state of the NHS in a bid to uncover the extent of the issues facing the health service.

Streeting says he wants a ‘raw and honest’ assessment that will deliver ‘the hard truths’.

And he has appointed Professor Lord Darzi, a lifelong surgeon and innovator, independent peer, and former health minister, to lead the rapid assessment, which will be delivered in September.

Its findings will provide the basis for the Government’s 10-year plan to radically reform the NHS and build a health service that is fit for the future.

Streeting said: “Anyone who works in, or uses, the NHS can see it is broken.

“This government will be honest about the challenges facing the health service, and serious about tackling them.

“This investigation will uncover hard truths and I’ve asked for nothing to be held back.

“I trust Lord Darzi will leave no stone unturned and have told him to speak truth to power.

“I want a raw and frank assessment of the state of the NHS.

“This is the necessary first step on the road to recovery for our National Health Service, so it can be there for us when we need it, once again.”

Professor Lord Darzi added: “As every clinician and every patient knows, the first step to addressing any health problem is a proper diagnosis.

“My work will analyse the evidence to understand where we are today, and how we got to here, so that the health service can move forward.

“This is an important step to re-establishing quality of care as the organising principle of the NHS.”

And Amanda Pritchard, NHS chief executive, said: “Frontline NHS staff are doing an incredible job, despite the huge pressures they face, to deliver care to over a million people every day, but we know that they face huge struggles and patients are not always getting the timely, high quality care they need.

“We will work closely with the Government, independent experts, and NHS staff to take a detailed look at the scale of the challenges and set out plans to address them.

“This comprehensive analysis will be an important step in helping us to build an NHS fit for the future.”

The announcement follows Streeting meeting with junior doctors to discuss ending the strikes, and the British Dental Association about rebuilding NHS dentistry.

He also visited a GP surgery in north London to see first hand how the practice is delivering a patient-led service providing continuity of care.