NHS stats to beat you with

Uh-oh. The BBC's actually done some decent reporting for a change, and has unearthed the fact that average waits on the NHS have gone UP under Labour, not down:

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 that in 1997-98 average waits stood at 41 days, but by last year had risen to 49 days.

What's more, in 2004/05 the average wait was above 50 days. So, they've sorted long waiting lists, but the underlying problem has grown. How much is this costing us again?