The War on Waiting for Hospital Treatment

What has Labour achieved and what challenges remain?

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John Appleby, Tony Harrison
August 2005 | ISBN 978 1 85717 496 0 | 96 pages | £15.00

Publication cover for The War on Waiting for Hospital Treatment: What has Labour achieved and what challenges remain?

The need to wait for hospital treatment has been a feature of the NHS since it began. When Labour came to power in 1997 total numbers waiting stood at 1.3 million, and the government announced a ‘war on waiting’. This paper begins with a description of the task the government faced and assesses the policy initiatives it has taken to address it. It also looks at what the government should do next. The paper draws on previous studies by the King’s Fund into waiting list policy and the ways in which individual trusts have responded to national targets.

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