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 help support people waiting for joint replacement surgery.

Cutting waiting lists is a key priority for the Government. We have committed to achieving the NHS Constitutional standard that 92% of patients should wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment by March 2029, including patients waiting for joint replacement surgery.

We also want to improve patients’ experience while waiting, to ensure their experience of planned National Health Service care is as supportive and convenient as possible. In our Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, we committed to giving patients more choice and control, including choice of their provider, and whether they want routine follow up appointments. We are upgrading the NHS app, so patients can book and rearrange appointments, choose which hospital to be treated at, receive test results, and choose if they want to be seen in person or remotely. We will also work with patients and carers to establish minimum standards for experience.

The My Planned Care app gives people advice and support while they wait and helps them to prepare for their hospital consultation, treatment, or surgery. This includes giving people information about waiting times at their hospital and other supporting and local services. There has been no formal assessment on the correlation between body mass index levels and referrals for joint replacement surgery.