Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for elective treatment in North East Somerset and Hanham.

We are committed to returning by March 2029 to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment. As a first step towards achieving this, we have delivered against the interim target that 65% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks by March 2026.

The North East Somerset and Hanham constituency includes three acute NHS trusts delivering elective treatment, namely Royal United Hospitals Bath, Bristol, and North Bristol. As of the latest published statistics in April 2026, the three trusts have at least 68% of their waits for elective treatment below 18 weeks, all better than the national average.

As set out in the Elective Reform Plan, we are investing in modernisation, reforming and simplifying pathways, increasing surgical and diagnostic capacity, and empowering patients with faster and more convenient access to care. In this constituency, surgical hubs in the Sulis and Southmead hospitals have increased capacity for elective activity, delivering faster access to procedures for patients.