All the old cynics who dismissed ministers’ plans to spend time working on the NHS front line as a cheap and stupid publicity stunt were confounded this week by Jeremy Hunt.

Reflecting on the time he spent on an accident and emergency department in Watford, the health secretary noted the “dramatic” growth in accident and emergency activity, and that non-elective services were under huge pressure.

End Game wonders how long Mr Hunt must have been working in the NHS to observe and confirm this rise in demand, and commends him for what must have been many months of quietly dedicated service.

We humbly suggest that next time, the health secretary may wish to spend some time working in elective services, to discover for himself the already well-documented decline in long waits, or perhaps to visit a commissioning organisation to observe how the management function has been shot to hell.