The results cast doubt on whether the labour government can meet its promise that all patients would be treated within this time by the end of 2008.

Patients in south-east England suffered the longest waits for hospital treatment with only a third seen within the target time.

The east of England and London were ranked second and third worst respectively for delays to hospital treatment. In the former only 41% of patients were treated within 18 weeks, and in the latter only 44%.

Even in the east Midlands – the best-performing region of the country – only 60% of patients were treated within the target time.

The worst performing trust was Swindon primary care trust, where just over a fifth of patients referred for hospital treatment were treated within 18 weeks.

Brighton and Hove city primary care trust was the second worst with only 23% of patients treated within the target period. The third worst was Enfield primary care trust, north London, where only 26% were treated on target. The third worst was Mid Essex primary care trust where only a quarter were treated on target.

Patients referred for trauma and orthopaedic treatments suffered most delays, with only a quarter treated within 18 weeks. Referrals for oral surgery and neurosurgery suffered the next worst delays, with only 37% and 39% of patients treated within the target period.

The study of total waiting times – from GP referral to hospital treatment – covered 208,127 patients in England who started their referral to treatment in March this year.

The Liberal Democrat health spokesman, Norman Lamb, said: “Behind the statistics, thousands of sick people are still waiting more than a year for hospital treatment. Why does the government not publish how long people are waiting over a year? How long do these long waits really last?”

The chairman of the British Medical Association’s consultants’ committee, Dr Jonathan Fielden, said the figures were “encouraging”, but added:

“There is still a long way to go though to ensure that patients are treated as soon as clinically needed and for these improvements to be sustained.”

The NHS Confederation, which represents over 90% of NHS organisations, said the figures provided a clearer and more meaningful picture of actual waiting times for patients.

Its director of policy, Nigel Edwards, said: “There is optimism within the health service that the 18 week target will be met by December 2008. However, we must not forget that this is probably the most challenging target that the health service has been asked to take on.”

But he warned that many trusts’ debts would hinder their ability to meet the target, which is expected to require around a third of the extra NHS funding for the current financial year to achieve.

From:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2097562,00.html

Nearly eighteen months ago (Jan 05, 2006) Health Direct warned that the NHS set to miss 18 week waiting times key target

The National Health Service will miss its key target to cut waiting times for treatment to a maximum of 18 weeks by 2008 without additional capacity and more reform, an analysis by the Financial Times shows. Reaching the target will involve either an unprecedented increase in productivity, or more work contracted out to the private sector – or most likely both – according to leading academics.

Waiting times for a first out-patient appointment have been falling – but far too slowly for the government to hit its 18-week target.

In addition, there are fears that increasing diagnostic capacity may prompt more demand, so that waiting times for tests and scans could rise before they fall – something that has happened in other countries when capacity has been expanded.

“What these figures show,” said Alan Maynard, professor of health economics at York University, “is that of the three elements needed to get to an overall 18-week target, one [the outpatient wait] is falling far too slowly, one [the wait for diagnostics] may well rise before it falls, and the third [the time spent on the waiting list before an operation] is going in the wrong direction.

“Unless something changes radically, the government is going to miss its target.”