Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the average length of time patients are currently waiting between GP referral and being added to an NHS consultant-led elective care waiting list; and whether any such waiting periods are included in official waiting list statistics.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In line with referral to treatment rules, a patient's waiting time clock starts from the moment they are referred for consultant-led elective treatment. According to these rules, there should be no time between a general practice referral and entry onto a consultant-led elective waiting list. The complete time elapsed between referral and treatment will be recorded on the published consultant led referral to treatment waiting time data, with further information available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/rtt-data-2025-26/
Guidance is provided to NHS England and integrated care boards through the Referral to treatment consultant-led waiting times: rules suite, which is available at the following link:
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS England includes the period between receipt of a GP referral and the issuing of the first appointment offer within published consultant led referral to treatment waiting time data.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In line with referral to treatment rules, a patient's waiting time clock starts from the moment they are referred for consultant-led elective treatment. According to these rules, there should be no time between a general practice referral and entry onto a consultant-led elective waiting list. The complete time elapsed between referral and treatment will be recorded on the published consultant led referral to treatment waiting time data, with further information available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/rtt-data-2025-26/
Guidance is provided to NHS England and integrated care boards through the Referral to treatment consultant-led waiting times: rules suite, which is available at the following link:
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of extended pre-listing delays on patient outcomes and clinical risk in high-volume specialities.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In line with referral to treatment rules, a patient's waiting time clock starts from the moment they are referred for consultant-led elective treatment. According to these rules, there should be no time between a general practice referral and entry onto a consultant-led elective waiting list. The complete time elapsed between referral and treatment will be recorded on the published consultant led referral to treatment waiting time data, with further information available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/rtt-data-2025-26/
Guidance is provided to NHS England and integrated care boards through the Referral to treatment consultant-led waiting times: rules suite, which is available at the following link:
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department monitors variation between NHS trusts in the time taken to convert GP referrals into entries on consultant led elective waiting lists.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In line with referral to treatment rules, a patient's waiting time clock starts from the moment they are referred for consultant-led elective treatment. According to these rules, there should be no time between a general practice referral and entry onto a consultant-led elective waiting list. The complete time elapsed between referral and treatment will be recorded on the published consultant led referral to treatment waiting time data, with further information available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/rtt-data-2025-26/
Guidance is provided to NHS England and integrated care boards through the Referral to treatment consultant-led waiting times: rules suite, which is available at the following link:
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department records how many patients have withdrawn from treatment or deteriorated clinically while waiting to be added to an elective care waiting list.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold the data in this format.
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department records how many patients are experiencing delays of more than 12 months before being added to a consultant led elective care waiting list following GP referral.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In line with referral to treatment rules, a patient's waiting time clock starts from the moment they are referred for consultant-led elective treatment. According to these rules, there should be no time between a general practice referral and entry onto a consultant-led elective waiting list. The complete time elapsed between referral and treatment will be recorded on the published consultant led referral to treatment waiting time data, with further information available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/rtt-data-2025-26/
Guidance is provided to NHS England and integrated care boards through the Referral to treatment consultant-led waiting times: rules suite, which is available at the following link:
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department monitors variation between NHS trusts in the time taken to convert GP referrals into entries on consultant led elective waiting lists.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In line with referral to treatment rules, a patient's waiting time clock starts from the moment they are referred for consultant-led elective treatment. According to these rules, there should be no time between a general practice referral and entry onto a consultant-led elective waiting list. The complete time elapsed between referral and treatment will be recorded on the published consultant led referral to treatment waiting time data, with further information available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/rtt-data-2025-26/
Guidance is provided to NHS England and integrated care boards through the Referral to treatment consultant-led waiting times: rules suite, which is available at the following link:
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department has issued to NHS England and integrated care boards on the recording, monitoring and reporting of delays between referral and formal waiting list entry.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In line with referral to treatment rules, a patient's waiting time clock starts from the moment they are referred for consultant-led elective treatment. According to these rules, there should be no time between a general practice referral and entry onto a consultant-led elective waiting list. The complete time elapsed between referral and treatment will be recorded on the published consultant led referral to treatment waiting time data, with further information available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/rtt-data-2025-26/
Guidance is provided to NHS England and integrated care boards through the Referral to treatment consultant-led waiting times: rules suite, which is available at the following link:
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients have received a GP referral but who have not yet been allocated an NHS number on a consultant led waiting list.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In line with referral to treatment rules, a patient's waiting time clock starts from the moment they are referred for consultant-led elective treatment. According to these rules, there should be no time between a general practice referral and entry onto a consultant-led elective waiting list. The complete time elapsed between referral and treatment will be recorded on the published consultant led referral to treatment waiting time data, with further information available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/rtt-data-2025-26/
Guidance is provided to NHS England and integrated care boards through the Referral to treatment consultant-led waiting times: rules suite, which is available at the following link:
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the period between GP referral and a patient being added to an elective waiting list has increased or decreased in the past five years.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In line with referral to treatment rules, a patient's waiting time clock starts from the moment they are referred for consultant-led elective treatment. According to these rules, there should be no time between a general practice referral and entry onto a consultant-led elective waiting list. The complete time elapsed between referral and treatment will be recorded on the published consultant led referral to treatment waiting time data, with further information available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/rtt-data-2025-26/
Guidance is provided to NHS England and integrated care boards through the Referral to treatment consultant-led waiting times: rules suite, which is available at the following link: