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 improve the (a) effectiveness and (b) timeliness of patient referrals between organisations in the NHS.

We’re improving referral processing by introducing a Single Point of Access model, which will provide consistent clinical triage and use digital solutions to streamline processes and reduce duplication. This will ensure patients are directed to the right care quickly.

To support general practitioners and avoid delays, we’re introducing national standards for response times and guidance to underpin clinical triage and advice quality. These will be monitored locally by integrated care boards and reviewed regularly.

The NHS App also already allows people to book and manage their secondary care referrals in 100% of acute trusts, with 89% allowing patients to manage follow up appointments too, with 100% expected in 2026.