#nhs-waiting-times

#nhs-waiting-times

Nearly a quarter of hospitals in England have seen waiting times worsen since the government published its plan to tackle the backlog a year ago, BBC analysis shows. Hitting the 18-week waiting target for treatments such as knee and hip operations was Labour's key manifesto pledge for the health service, and last January it set out how it would get hospitals on track.

More than 60,000 cancer patients a year in England are not getting the radiotherapy they need at all, while some face waits of up to six months to begin the treatment, research has found. The situation is so dire that nearly 100 heads of radiotherapy and oncology three-quarters of England's radiotherapy leaders have warned in an open letter that the government is failing patients.