NHS waiting times fall to record low levels

New data from the NHS has demonstrated that waiting times have dropped to record-low levels in recent weeks.

Figures for August 2012 show that the number of people waiting longer than 26 and 52 weeks to start treatment have fallen to their lowest levels since data collation on this matter began.

The average wait to start inpatient treatment is stable at 8.3 weeks, similar to August 2011 and May 2010, while more than 100,000 fewer patients waited longer than 18 weeks to start treatment than at the same point last year.

According to health secretary Jeremy Hunt, this is demonstrative of the hard work the NHS has put into reducing waiting times.

He said: "Patients who are on waiting lists are not statistics – they are human beings with worries about their care, who should get the treatment they need."

A report released last month show that the number of mixed-sex accommodation breaches among English hospitals also fell to their lowest level ever in August 2012.