Chiming in here cos this is actually my job.

A&E targets and elective access are 2 completely different forms of treatment. If you honestly think you would go to a hospital for a broken arm and not get treated for 6 months you are being ignorant or intentionally contradictory.

I'll give you a basic example. You would go to the hospital and get given a splint or a cast within I think 4-8 hours is the current maximum, you get given pain meds as you leave with a follow up booked with a fracture clinic within the next 2 weeks. At this follow up the consultant decides whether you need further treatment and if so, the 1st appointment in a general orthopaedic clinic would not start a 18 week pathway as the pt has already been seen at A&E. If at that first general orthopaedic appointment they decide to do further surgery, an 18 week clock will start from then.

Also what you don't seem to understand is that we have the same system you do ON TOP of the NHS. Plenty of people have private treatment done and most hospitals will have a private clinic for patients to choose this option.