Health secretary pleased with NHS waiting times

Achieving the shortest waiting times since NHS records began is a “tremendous achievement”, it has been claimed.

New data has shown the public health body has met its target to treat patients within 18 weeks after referral by their GP and now the average wait for admitted individuals is 8.6 weeks.

Health secretary Alan Johnson commented it would not have been uncommon for people to have medical procedures and examinations delayed by over four months.

Improvements in this area has enhanced millions of lives, he remarked, adding: “It’s not just patients that benefit from this – clinicians also value the difference it makes to the quality of care they provide.”

Mr Johnson concluded by congratulating NHS staff for their hard work and meeting the standard some five months before the designated deadline.

This week, the Department of Health released the results of a survey of the NHS workforce, which revealed job satisfaction was high and 90 per cent of employees felt their role made a difference to patients.

One concern the report did uncover was the fear of acts violence and threats from the public.