Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that guidance published by the 'Getting It Right First Time' programme is implemented across England.

The Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme is a national NHS England programme designed to improve the treatment and care of patients through an in-depth review of services, benchmarking, and presenting a data-driven evidence base to support change and remove variation in health services across England. It is a non-mandatory programme, approved by the royal colleges and professional bodies.

The GIRFT team is working with systems and regions to help the National Health Service embed best practice in elective care, to reduce waiting times, improve patient outcomes and, ultimately, to support delivery of the commitment that 92% of all patients will wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029.

Guidance is delivered to teams all over England via national reports and best practice guidance products. While guidance is not mandatory, GIRFT tracks the audiences, downloads, and uptake of best practice guidance at a national level, ensuring that reports are driving change across the health landscape.