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Hospital waiting times have been a bugbear for many years. The last thing people who are feeling ill, are in pain, or are worried about what might be wrong with them need is to be stuck on a waiting list for many months to see a consultant and then on another for an equally long time before they can be treated.

So the dramatic reduction in waiting times reported for hospitals in Bradford and Airedale is bound to be widely welcomed as a positive development. The new limits being reported are very encouraging, and in the case of hearing assessments, the improvement claimed could be described as spectacular.

Whereas in some cases it used to take a year for a diagnostic appointment to come around, patients are now being seen within six weeks. And the time between diagnosis and treatment in all departments is expected to be down to 18 weeks by December, with a promise that further reductions are on the way.

This has not been achieved through any magic formula. It is the result of commonsense, practical measures: extra investment leading to the appointment of additional staff, which has in turn enabled more clinics to be held, including Saturday clinics and outreach sessions at health centres across the district.

Congratulations to the staff at the hospitals concerned. Through their hard work they have responded well to the national campaign which imposed challenging targets in a bid to reduce delays. Let's hope that they continue to make progress, giving the people of this district the NHS service they deserve.

8:16am Wednesday 23rd April 2008

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