Scores of furious medics have taken to Twitter to blast Jeremy Hunt on the day he has become the longest-serving health secretary in history.
Hunt has now overtaken fellow Tory Norman Fowler, who served from 1981 to 1987, having already passed NHS founder Aneurin Bevan in February.
However, Mr Hunt’s five year and 274 day-reign has seen him weather a series of political storms and also some of the worst performance statistics on record.
Waiting times in A&E have ballooned to their worst ever levels over the past winter and hundreds of thousands of patients have been left waiting longer than 18 weeks for routine operations. Concerned medics have repeatedly warned the cash-strapped NHS has ‘no more to give’.
Doctors, nurses and politicians took to Twitter last night and in the early hours of this morning to condemn Mr Hunt’s controversial tenure – with one angry user claiming it is the ‘main reason the NHS is in crisis’.
Jeremy Hunt today overtook fellow Tory Norman Fowler, who served from 1981 to 1987, having already passed NHS founder Aneurin Bevan in February

Taking to social media in the early hours of this morning, Dr Sukaina Hirji, an NHS GP, branded Mr Hunt’s tenure as ‘not a great record’
Professor Stephen Hawking backed campaigners taking legal action over Mr Hunt’s plans to ‘Americanise’ the NHS last year.
He was responsible for a controversial contract for junior doctors in England that sparked the biggest walk-out of doctors in NHS history in 2016.
And Mr Hunt was forced to cancel tens of thousands of operations this winter as hospitals delayed non-urgent operations to try and ease the unprecedented crisis.
Waiting-time performances in A&E units hit their lowest level in 14 years last winter – even worse than the previous winter, which was branded a ‘humanitarian crisis’.
Staff described patients ‘dying prematurely’ in corridors before they were seen as furious medics begged for extra funding to cope with the pressure.
Dr Sukaina Hirji, an NHS GP, branded Mr Hunt’s tenure as ‘not a great record’. She tweeted: ‘The legacy of Jeremy Hunt: a recruitment crisis of doctors and nurses, record staff shortages, bed shortages, longer waiting lists, routine op cancellations.’
Dr Ben White, a critic of the Health and Social Care Secretary, yesterday offered an answer as to how the 52-year-old has managed to keep his role.

Dr Ben White, a critic of the Health and Social Care Secretary, yesterday offered an answer as to how the 52-year-old has managed to keep his role
In a scathing attack, he explained how Mr Hunt has ‘effectively under-funded, down-sized, out-sourced and fragmented the NHS as asked’.
He posted the answer in a tweet that began: ‘In case you wondered why Jeremy Hunt still has his job despite the worst tenure in history’.
His followers shared similar views.
Heidi Dodd, a nurse in Billingshurst, responded to his tweet and urged Mr Hunt to ‘face the real people who live with the consequences you are responsible for.’
In February, Mr Hunt surpassed the tenure of Aneurin Bevan, the Labour founder of the NHS – which celebrates its 70th anniversary next month.
But his new accolade, which has seen him pip Mr Fowler to the top spot, has also seen him receive the wrath of politicians and the public.
Labour’s official Twitter account, which has more than 600,000 followers, chipped in to ‘mark the occasion by compiling just a few of his best bits’.
It mocked-up a ‘hall of shame’, with a mosaic portrait of Mr Hunt that included some of his TV interviews since he began the role in September 2012.

Twitter user Michael, who goes by the handle @therightarticle_, wrote that Jeremy Hunt becoming the longest-serving health secretary is the ‘main reason the NHS is in crisis’
The two-minute-long clip, published yesterday, also featured some of the statistics that have been released in the past two winter crises.
David Lammy, Labour MP for Tottenham, also joined in the mock celebrations for Mr Hunt. He tweeted his ‘congrats’.
‘Since you’ve been in the job, the number of people waiting more than four hours in A&E is up 842 per cent,’ Mr Lammy continued.
He also added that the number of people waiting longer than a fortnight for urgent cancer treatment has more than doubled.
Twitter user Michael, who goes by the handle @therightarticle_, wrote that Jeremy Hunt becoming the longest-serving health secretary is the ‘main reason the NHS is in crisis’.
And Twitter user Socialist Voice, a ‘hard left militant’, drew up a mock board game called ‘Jeremy Hunt’s Operation’ to celebrate his tenure.
Instead of listing body parts, it gave the options of ‘blaming nurses’ and privatizing several aspects – two actions Mr Hunt has been criticised for.
Mr Hunt took over from Andrew Lansley, who was spectacularly sacked by David Cameron today because of his failure to push through NHS reforms.

Heidi Dodd, a nurse in Billingshurst, responded to Dr White’s tweet and urged Mr Hunt to ‘face the real people who live with the consequences you are responsible for’

Twitter user Socialist Voice, a ‘hard left militant’, drew up a mock board game called ‘Jeremy Hunt’s Operation’ to celebrate his tenure
Despite his fierce critics, Mr Hunt, MP for South West Surrey, has been behind major plans to cut the number of baby deaths and injuries in childbirth.
And in his first speech since taking charge of social care in January, he outlined a blueprint to transform care for the elderly, who are too often treated as ‘tasks on a to-do list’.
But many medics argue his tenure will be remembered for funding cuts on the NHS that has led to the health service buckling under unprecedented pressure.
Mr Hunt tweeted this morning. He wrote: ‘Sometimes time has flown, at others it’s been achingly slow, but every second of last 5+ yrs has been a privilege.
‘Thanks for being extraordinary in so many ways: much more impressive than a long serving Health Sec are the staff who have devoted 10, 15 or 20+ yrs to patients.’

Labour’s official Twitter account, which has more than 600,000 followers, chipped in to ‘mark the occasion by compiling just a few of his best bits’

David Lammy, Labour MP for Tottenham, also joined in the mock celebrations for Mr Hunt. He tweeted his ‘congrats’