Waiting lists figures hide the true story

11.34.17am BST (GMT +0100) Sat 29th Oct 2005

Commenting on the publication of waiting list statistics, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary Steve Webb MP said:

"These figures do not tell the true story of waiting times in the NHS. They ignore all the people waiting months or even years for a diagnosis before they get on the official waiting list.

"The Government has still not published information on the total time people wait for treatment.

"There is a real danger that the 'market mania' in the modern NHS will actually increase waiting times. Record amounts of cash are being injected into the health service, and yet many NHS Trusts are in financial difficulty. When the cash tap is finally turned off, this situation will get worse and a financial crisis could undermine further progress on waiting times."