Go to the National Health Service webpage in the UK and weep.

http://www.nhs.uk/Pages/HomePage.aspx
They're trying to make it better:
"...The NHS is making sure that you are seen as soon as possible, at a time that is convenient for you. To do this, the NHS Constitution states that no one should wait more than 18 weeks for consultant-led NHS treatment. This means that your treatment should start no more than 18 weeks from the day that your GP refers you, unless you choose to wait longer or there's a good medical reason for delay.
As a result, hospital waiting times are now the shortest since NHS records began. Being treated within 18 weeks of GP referral is a significant achievement considering that people often waited 18 months or more for an operation during the 1990s..."