Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data the Government is using to assess whether the recommended IBD standards' 18-week quality indicator for bowel conditions are being met.

While there is no specific coding to identify patients referred with a diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease, data on waiting times for gastroenterology services is collected through tools such as the standard referral to treatment time (RTT) reports. RTT data for July 2022 is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Jul22-RTT-SPN-publication-version.pdf

We have allocated more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25 to increase activity in elective services and reduce waiting times, including for patients with chronic and benign bowel conditions. This is in addition to the £2 billion Elective Recovery Fund and £700 million Targeted Investment Fund made available in 2021/22.