The Conservatives have accused the Government of hiding the true facts over waiting lists - ahead of latest figures on performance due this week.Labour has put a lot of effort, and pressure on NHS managers, to reduce waiting lists. The Conservatives say this has resulted in patients being made to wait longer before they see a specialist.
The period of measurement under most scrutiny is from the time a patient is diagnosed as needing an operation, to treatment. 

The Government has given details of its plans for modernising a service that helps a million and a half families and costs nine billion pounds a year in its social services white paper.It’s an attempt to improve public confidence in a service that has provided multiple examples of problems and failures, such as the abuse of children while in care, and a lack of co-ordination when elderly people - “bedblockers” - are left in hospital while authorities argue over who should pay for care.