Govt hits NHS target

In a rare piece of good news for the government, it appears the NHS is set to meet its target of reducing waiting times to 18 weeks as it celebrates its 60th birthday.

Medical experts are calling the achievement ‘fantastic’ given 1.2 million people were on waiting lists when Labour came to power and that many people spent years on the lists before treatment.

It is expected to hit the target next week, when, barring an unforeseen event, patients will not have to wait longer than 18 weeks for referral.

Twelve months ago half the patients admitted for routine surgery waited more than 18 weeks, 12 per cent of them for more than a year.