For me (an ordinary middle class guy) I was in the recovery room of a world famous hospital 12 business days after making the call to set up an appointment for an initial consultation.
OTOH,in Canada the median waiting times varied from province to province. In Manitoba the median wait time from referral to surgery was 30 weeks while something like a third of patients waited 40 weeks.
And in British Columbia,one of their most heavily populated provinces,there were patients who waited almost a year for a certain kind of cardiac procedure (can't recall what kind).
IIRC Canada's health system is very similar,but not identical,to Britain's.
I was doing research awhile ago too. I recall reading the official proceedings in England where they said that the wait times to get just a hearing TEST was something like 20 MONTHS in the rural areas of England. “This is unacceptable for our rural communities!! When in London, one can get a hearing exam with a wait of only 10 weeks!” (Or something like that - I know it was about a 2 year wait in rural areas!)
I was reading where they have since solved the problem (for hearing tests at least) by allowing the private firms to do the work.
I know some Canadians that live here, and they go on and on about how great their system is.
“So why don’t you live there?”
“There are no jobs that pay a decent living.” (Two people)
One of those people that brags on their system was saying that their dad was visiting.
“Oh - anything special?” (Thinking birthday, etc.)
“He’s having an operation. He would have had to wait another year up there, and the doctors are better down here.”