England has been facing the longest waiting times for three whole years, according to an independent health think tank.

Since April 2008, 18 weeks was the waiting time that happened and it was the longest. Percentage of patients who had to bear this time to get treated was 15 per cent, the Kings Fund says.

The reason cited for this delay is financial crisis and pressure that the NHS is facing.

Government has however given an argument on this stating that such patients were only 10.2 per cent and not 15 per cent as there were some patients who delayed their treatments on their own.

In the NHS, the promised waiting times to patients is about 18 weeks and in no condition this time is supposed to be exceeded.

Kings Fund chief economist Professor John Appleby said, “In the past the two things that kept waiting down were targets and extra money. Managers got sacked for not meeting targets. And of course in the future there won't be the same amount of extra money.”

Waiting times for hospital treatment in the NHS in England is counted from the day a letter is written by a GP telling the patient that he or she will be seen on this date until the treatment takes place.