London has longest operation delays

Many of London's top hospitals are trailing behind the national average in waiting times for key operations.

New figures reveal patients who need surgery in the capital face an extraordinary lottery over how quickly they are treated.

Securing appointments for common procedures such as cataract removals and hip replacements can take months longer at London's best hospitals than elsewhere.

Eight institutions in the capital are among the worst 20 per cent in Britain for waiting times - with some patients forced to wait for more than a year for simple procedures.

The figures are a blow to the reputation of some of London's leading hospitals, including St Bartholomew's, St Thomas' and Guys, King's College and Chelsea and Westminster.

For example, the national average wait for a heart bypass operation is 179 days. But patients treated at Bart's must wait an average 236 days.

By contrast, patients referred to Queen Mary's wait an average of 26 days for the same operation and at Hammersmith or Charing Cross they are treated in less than two weeks.

The national average waiting time for tonsil removal is 218 days. But at the Mayday in Croydon the wait is only 77 days, while at King's College it takes 431 days.

Roger Taylor, director of health research company Dr Foster's which helped compile the figures, said: "There are huge variations in waiting times for operations in London. It can be affected by all sorts of factors, such as whether a hospital specialises in that area, or its staffing situation. But this will help Londoners choose the best place to be treated quickly."

The research was carried out by insurance giant Norwich Union, using data from the Department of Health, Imperial College London and Dr Foster.

The release of the figures coincides with a pilot project this summer which gives Londoners more choice over where they have operations.

Patients who have waited more than six months for orthopaedic, urological, gynaecological, plastic, oral or general surgery will have the right to select where they undergo treatment.

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: "We are very keen to encourage the publication of this sort of data. As long as it is accurate, we support more information for patients about how long they will have to wait for treatment."

London GP Ann Robinson said: "Patients should be encouraged to make choices with this kind of information. In my experience, people who take control of their health are often the ones who get better healthcare."

A spokeswoman for Bart's said waiting times for heart bypass operations had improved significantly since the figures were collated.

The new waiting times search system can be found on the internet at www.personalhealthmanager.co.uk.