Hospitals: North East

(asked on 19th February 2019) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will he will make it his policy to undertake a public consultation with patients in the north east of England on proposals to change NHS waiting time targets.


Answered by
Stephen Hammond Portrait
Stephen Hammond
This question was answered on 25th February 2019

The clinically-led review of standards was announced by the Prime Minister in June 2018. The review is considering the appropriateness of operational standards for physical and mental health relating to planned, unplanned urgent or emergency care, as well as cancer. In the interest of patient safety, we are committed to ensuring that any changes to waiting time standards are based on clinical evidence.

The National Health Service Long Term Plan provides a platform upon which innovative models of patient care can and are being developed. In that context, the NHS National Medical Director has been working with the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, Healthwatch England and many others to consider what matters most to patients, on the clinical issues with the current target regime, and what NHS staff believe will help them provide the best quality care for patients.

The review will report its interim findings in the spring of 2019, after which any recommended changes arising from the Clinical Standards Review will be carefully tested across the NHS and be subject to a rigorous approach before they are implemented.  Any changes should, and will, only seek to further strengthen current operational standards.

Any changes to the NHS Constitution will be consulted on as is legally required. NHS waiting time targets are national standards and apply to all regions of the NHS.

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