Since 2004, the NHS has maintained that no patient should wait longer than 18 weeks for an operation after a referral from their GP. The following infographic was recently featured on the Independent and it shows that the share of patients waiting longer than 18 weeks for surgery is creeping up. In 2013, 5.7 percent of patients had to wait longer than the 18 week target and at the start of this year, that increased to 10.1 percent. Read the full story about the effective abandonment of NHS waiting times on the Independent.