Waiting Times
NHS waiting lists are now at all time low. The Government, through the NHS Plan, stipulated that by December 2008, patients will wait no more than 18 weeks from GP referral to the start of hospital treatment. Most patients will be treated more quickly. Even greater progress in speeding up access to services has been made in specialist areas such as cancer. This maximum 18 week patient pathway includes all the stages that lead up to treatment – outpatient consultations, and diagnostic tests and procedures. The Government currently requires that 90% of admitted patients and 95% of non-admitted patients begin treatment within 18 weeks. The George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust is meeting this requirement.
