05 August 2005
The government is on track to achieve its 2008 waiting time target but it must do more to ensure poorer people get access to care, the King's Fund said this week.
The health charity said ministers could be optimistic that by 2008 no patient would wait longer than 18 weeks between GP referral and treatment.
Waiting lists were falling rapidly and additional private sector capacity was being used.
But in a report, War on waiting, the fund said unacceptable variations in access to care would remain, even if the target were met.
Report author Anthony Harrison said access to some non-emergency surgery was lower for poorer communities.
'More work is needed to determine the scale of the current variations, the reasons for them and the policies likely to be effective in tackling them.
'As the 18-week target approaches, the government should put much more emphasis on doing just that,' he added.
PFaug2005
