By 2005 it is planned to have a maximum out-patient waitingtime of three months, and a maximumwaitingtime for surgery of six months for all procedures.
There was no effective maximumwaitingtime either for a GP appointment or for hospital treatment - although the hospital waiting lists stood at over 1.1 million and many patients were waiting more than 18 months even for the most urgent treatment, with rates of death from cancer and heart disease amongst the highest in Europe.
The government has retained some crucial objectives, notably the pledge to achieve by 2008 a maximum all-in waitingtime for elective treatment, from a family doctor's referral to the operating table, of 18 weeks.
NHS. First, it is likely to boost hospital activity, which is vital if the government is to meet its new target for cutting the maximum all-in waitingtime for an elective operation to 18 weeks by 2008.