The Government Has Quietly Shelved NHS 18-Week Waiting Time Target

The Government Has Quietly Shelved NHS 18-Week Waiting Time Target The government has quietly shelved 18-week NHS waiting times for elective surgery, according to a Labour peer.

Lord Philip Hunt of Kings Heath said he believes ministers may have acted unlawfully by removing the target from the NHS Regulations for 2017, without making a public statement or informing Parliament.

One of three key targets, along with A&E waiting times and cancer treatment referrals, the NHS was previously required to ensure 92% of patients waiting for non-urgent surgery were treated within 18 weeks. The service has repeatedly missed all three key targets in recent years. Huffington Post UK