Average hospital waiting times have risen under Labour, figures show.
Before Labour came to power in 1997 waits of more than 18 months were not uncommon, but now no-one waits longer than six months in England.
However, NHS data reveals in 1997-98 median average waits stood at 41 days, but by last year had risen to 49 days.
The government said it was the price paid for the end of really long waits, but doctors said longer waits included some patients with serious conditions.
Jonathan Fielden, chairman of the British Medical Association's consultants committee, said: "All that has happened is that the government has put an end to the really long waits and the really short waits.
Nearly two thirds of health staff would not be happy to be a patient in their own NHS trust, a survey shows.
The Healthcare Commission poll of more than 128,000 workers also found just 45% felt patients were a top priority. And the watchdog urged the NHS to "redouble efforts" to cut violence against staff with one in three reporting attacks in the last year.
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Nearly two thirds of health staff would not be happy to be a patient in their own NHS trust, a survey shows.
