Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps NHS England is taking to remain in contact with patients who have attempted to book procedures via their GP but have been refused as a result of slots not being available at hospitals.

The information requested is not held centrally. Referrals are made from general practitioners (GPs) using the electronic referral system (eRS). If there is no availability on the eRS for a particular provider, the referrer uses the ‘defer to provider’ function to send the referral to the provider of choice, with an appointment made directly with the patient. There are no restrictions on a GP referring the patient to a particular provider. Following a referral to a hospital, the patient will be contacted when an appointment becomes available and will be managed in order of clinical priority.

Hospitals are required to validate patients on waiting lists at intervals to determine whether it remains appropriate for that patient. NHS England has also developed the ‘My Planned Care’ national patient platform, which is communicated to patients. This contains waiting time information updated weekly at provider and specialty level. In addition, clinical guidelines are developed to enable patients to manage their condition and optimise their health while waiting for treatment. Information is also provided on voluntary sector organisations which can support patients.