"Length of time taken for diagnosis and treatment"

At the end of January this year I experienced a sudden pain on the inside of my left knee. After a week of pain I went to my GP who diagnosed a sprained medial collataral ligament (MCL). She referred me to Crystal Palace Physiotherapy (CPP) and I was given an initial appointment in April in Orpington. After examination, it was deduced that I should be booked in for a CAT scan at the Princess Royal Univerity hospital (PRU), which was scheduled for 1st June. After the scan, I was told by the radiotherapist that the results would take abou a week or so to arrive with the physiotherapist. Aftera lot of phoning both the hospital and CPP I eventually got an appointment to see the specialist on 23 July. On several occasions I asked the staff at CPP to provide me with the diagnosis but was told that only a medically trained person could read this to me. I attended CPP on 23 July where I was told that I now had to be referred back to the PRU as the report on the CAT scan said that I had a meniscal tear, inflammation of the bursa, and patellofemoral chondropathy, none of which would respond to physiotherapy. Th consultant subsequently wrote to the PRU and I now have an appointment to see the specialist there on 23 October. This is about 38 weeks since my original (mis)diagnosis. My understanding of the Patients Charter is that 18 weeks is the maximum time that I should have to wait for a consultant led treatment to start. I can guess that the appointment for October was made by someone without reference to the original appointments