Health ministers have boasted that across the country 72% of patients are waiting less than 18 weeks for treatment. But in Brent waiting times may be getting worse, with just 31% of patients receiving treatment within 18 weeks - the worst performance in the UK.
The news comes as a further blow to the Government's record on health in Brent. Brent Primary Care Trust (tPCT) is struggling under a £24million deficit, with the Government forcing a programme of cuts which will hit vital services across the borough.
"Brent is one of the most needy places in Britain. It is outrageous that my constituents, including the elderly and vulnerable, have to wait longer for treatment than anyone else in Britain.
"It's clear that those PCT's in high levels of debt are more likely to be struggling with waiting times. With health ministers breathing down the PCT's neck it is little wonder that they are focussed more on cutting our services than improving them.
"The Labour Government have failed people in Brent on health. They need to urgently promise that disadvantaged areas such as ours will not be left lagging behind the rest of the country."
