Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients are on Patient Tracking Lists (a) in total and (b) by NHS trust.

A Patient Tracking List is a forward-looking management tool used to help manage waiting lists and to achieve and sustain short waiting times.

The most recent available data (February 2020), shows that the number of incomplete pathways on the national waiting list total is 4,425,306. The number of incomplete pathways by trust, also for February 2020, is attached. The published data provided indicates the number of pathways, not individual patients.

Monthly data on referral to treatment times is published routinely by NHS England each month. The published data set includes data for all providers and all commissioners and can be found at the following link:

http://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/

NHS England and NHS Improvement monitor and manage performance against the waiting times requirements set out in the NHS Operational and Planning Guidance 2020/21. The NHS Standard Contract (which is mandated by NHS England for use by commissioners for all contracts for healthcare services) specifies the minimum expectations for providers’ delivery of operational plans, including waiting times. Local healthcare providers are ultimately responsible for monitoring their waiting lists and ensuring patient safety and follow up.