“This is a desperate attempt to supress bad news about the NHS’s performance over the Christmas period. It is entirely unacceptable for patients to be kept in the dark because Ministers are worried about negative headlines.

“The NHS is facing its most difficult winter in a generation and patients have the right to know how their local hospitals are performing. This decision also makes a mockery of Jeremy Hunt’s commitment to transparency in the NHS.

“Jeremy Hunt might be in denial, but people who work in the NHS say hospitals this winter are facing a stark choice between balancing the books and delivering safe care. However much he tries to hide it, the uncomfortable truth for Jeremy Hunt is that Tory health policies are failing patients.”