Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department’s policy is on the use of minimum waiting times for elective NHS care; and whether he has considered prohibiting the use of such waiting times less than 18 weeks.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in the Plan for Change, we are committed to returning to the NHS constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment by March 2029. As of August 2025, the waiting list had reduced by over 206,000 compared to the start of July 2024 despite over 24.5 million referrals onto the list over this period. Performance against the standard for 92% of patients to start first treatment within 18 weeks of referral was 61.0%, 2.7 percentage points higher than a year earlier.
There is no formal national policy supporting minimum waits in the National Health Service and no national assessment has been made on the potential impact of minimum waiting. However, the NHS standard contract technical guidance for 2025/26 states that commissioners may choose to include minimum waiting times in Activity Planning Assumptions to ensure delivery of targets within agreed financial allocations. The guidance requires commissioners to consider the equality and quality impacts of their plans on patients and to plan to deliver their wait time targets as set out in the annual Planning Guidance.
Improving value for money and ensuring we are using resources in the most effective manner is a priority for this government. This provision was added to support commissioners in managing activity to ensure they can sustainably manage within their budgets alongside the other requirements set out in the operational planning guidance for 2025/26.
Integrated care boards (ICBs) hold the responsibility and budget for commissioning and delivering elective activity through providers in their local area, they have discretion to design bespoke services that work best for and meet the needs of their local community. The specific information requested on which NHS ICBs use minimum waiting times for elective care; and for what reasons, is not held by the Department.
We will work closely with all systems to ensure they deliver the expected level of improvement in waiting times set out in 2025/26 Planning Guidance.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
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 potential impact of minimum waiting times for elective care on patients; and if he will publish clinical advice his Department has received on those waiting times.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in the Plan for Change, we are committed to returning to the NHS constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment by March 2029. As of August 2025, the waiting list had reduced by over 206,000 compared to the start of July 2024 despite over 24.5 million referrals onto the list over this period. Performance against the standard for 92% of patients to start first treatment within 18 weeks of referral was 61.0%, 2.7 percentage points higher than a year earlier.
There is no formal national policy supporting minimum waits in the National Health Service and no national assessment has been made on the potential impact of minimum waiting. However, the NHS standard contract technical guidance for 2025/26 states that commissioners may choose to include minimum waiting times in Activity Planning Assumptions to ensure delivery of targets within agreed financial allocations. The guidance requires commissioners to consider the equality and quality impacts of their plans on patients and to plan to deliver their wait time targets as set out in the annual Planning Guidance.
Improving value for money and ensuring we are using resources in the most effective manner is a priority for this government. This provision was added to support commissioners in managing activity to ensure they can sustainably manage within their budgets alongside the other requirements set out in the operational planning guidance for 2025/26.
Integrated care boards (ICBs) hold the responsibility and budget for commissioning and delivering elective activity through providers in their local area, they have discretion to design bespoke services that work best for and meet the needs of their local community. The specific information requested on which NHS ICBs use minimum waiting times for elective care; and for what reasons, is not held by the Department.
We will work closely with all systems to ensure they deliver the expected level of improvement in waiting times set out in 2025/26 Planning Guidance.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which NHS Integrated Care Boards use minimum waiting times for elective care; and for what reasons.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in the Plan for Change, we are committed to returning to the NHS constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment by March 2029. As of August 2025, the waiting list had reduced by over 206,000 compared to the start of July 2024 despite over 24.5 million referrals onto the list over this period. Performance against the standard for 92% of patients to start first treatment within 18 weeks of referral was 61.0%, 2.7 percentage points higher than a year earlier.
There is no formal national policy supporting minimum waits in the National Health Service and no national assessment has been made on the potential impact of minimum waiting. However, the NHS standard contract technical guidance for 2025/26 states that commissioners may choose to include minimum waiting times in Activity Planning Assumptions to ensure delivery of targets within agreed financial allocations. The guidance requires commissioners to consider the equality and quality impacts of their plans on patients and to plan to deliver their wait time targets as set out in the annual Planning Guidance.
Improving value for money and ensuring we are using resources in the most effective manner is a priority for this government. This provision was added to support commissioners in managing activity to ensure they can sustainably manage within their budgets alongside the other requirements set out in the operational planning guidance for 2025/26.
Integrated care boards (ICBs) hold the responsibility and budget for commissioning and delivering elective activity through providers in their local area, they have discretion to design bespoke services that work best for and meet the needs of their local community. The specific information requested on which NHS ICBs use minimum waiting times for elective care; and for what reasons, is not held by the Department.
We will work closely with all systems to ensure they deliver the expected level of improvement in waiting times set out in 2025/26 Planning Guidance.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
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 potential impact of deliberately imposed minimum waiting times for elective care on the NHS’s compliance with its constitutional access standards.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in the Plan for Change, we are committed to returning to the NHS constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment by March 2029. As of August 2025, the waiting list had reduced by over 206,000 compared to the start of July 2024 despite over 24.5 million referrals onto the list over this period. Performance against the standard for 92% of patients to start first treatment within 18 weeks of referral was 61.0%, 2.7 percentage points higher than a year earlier.
There is no formal national policy supporting minimum waits in the National Health Service and no national assessment has been made on the potential impact of minimum waiting. However, the NHS standard contract technical guidance for 2025/26 states that commissioners may choose to include minimum waiting times in Activity Planning Assumptions to ensure delivery of targets within agreed financial allocations. The guidance requires commissioners to consider the equality and quality impacts of their plans on patients and to plan to deliver their wait time targets as set out in the annual Planning Guidance.
Improving value for money and ensuring we are using resources in the most effective manner is a priority for this government. This provision was added to support commissioners in managing activity to ensure they can sustainably manage within their budgets alongside the other requirements set out in the operational planning guidance for 2025/26.
Integrated care boards (ICBs) hold the responsibility and budget for commissioning and delivering elective activity through providers in their local area, they have discretion to design bespoke services that work best for and meet the needs of their local community. The specific information requested on which NHS ICBs use minimum waiting times for elective care; and for what reasons, is not held by the Department.
We will work closely with all systems to ensure they deliver the expected level of improvement in waiting times set out in 2025/26 Planning Guidance.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Patients treated more quickly as NHS productivity rises over year, published on 22 September 2025, what estimate he has made of the monetary value of the increased acute sector costs referred to; and if he will provide a breakdown of that expenditure.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
National Health Service productivity is measured by comparing the amount of healthcare activity delivered, otherwise known as outputs, against the resources used, otherwise known as inputs, over time. To estimate the growth in costs, data is drawn from financial returns submitted by NHS trusts, known as Provider Financial Returns. These returns capture spending across the system. However, certain items that are not directly related to patient care activity, such as one-off or exceptional costs, are excluded to ensure the analysis reflects core service delivery.
To allow for a fair comparison between years, the figures are adjusted to remove the effects of inflation and NHS pay awards. This process, known as “deflation”, ensures that any changes in cost reflect real changes in resource use rather than price increases. This is standard practice in productivity analysis.
Following these adjustments, the estimated increase in acute sector costs between 2023/24 and 2024/25 is £3.0 billion. This figure reflects the additional resources used to support increased activity in acute care settings, such as hospitals.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Patients treated more quickly as NHS productivity rises over year, published on 22 September 2025, whether NHS pay awards were included in the calculation of cost growth used to measure NHS productivity.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
National Health Service productivity is measured by comparing the amount of healthcare activity delivered, otherwise known as outputs, against the resources used, otherwise known as inputs, over time. To estimate the growth in costs, data is drawn from financial returns submitted by NHS trusts, known as Provider Financial Returns. These returns capture spending across the system. However, certain items that are not directly related to patient care activity, such as one-off or exceptional costs, are excluded to ensure the analysis reflects core service delivery.
To allow for a fair comparison between years, the figures are adjusted to remove the effects of inflation and NHS pay awards. This process, known as “deflation”, ensures that any changes in cost reflect real changes in resource use rather than price increases. This is standard practice in productivity analysis.
Following these adjustments, the estimated increase in acute sector costs between 2023/24 and 2024/25 is £3.0 billion. This figure reflects the additional resources used to support increased activity in acute care settings, such as hospitals.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Patients treated more quickly as NHS productivity rises over year, published on 22 September 2025, how the growth in costs used to measure NHS productivity was calculated.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
National Health Service productivity is measured by comparing the amount of healthcare activity delivered, otherwise known as outputs, against the resources used, otherwise known as inputs, over time. To estimate the growth in costs, data is drawn from financial returns submitted by NHS trusts, known as Provider Financial Returns. These returns capture spending across the system. However, certain items that are not directly related to patient care activity, such as one-off or exceptional costs, are excluded to ensure the analysis reflects core service delivery.
To allow for a fair comparison between years, the figures are adjusted to remove the effects of inflation and NHS pay awards. This process, known as “deflation”, ensures that any changes in cost reflect real changes in resource use rather than price increases. This is standard practice in productivity analysis.
Following these adjustments, the estimated increase in acute sector costs between 2023/24 and 2024/25 is £3.0 billion. This figure reflects the additional resources used to support increased activity in acute care settings, such as hospitals.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
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 potential impact of the 2025/26 NHS Payment Scheme Consultation on the ability of patients to access medication for ADHD.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As required by law, NHS England has assessed the impact of the proposed NHS Payment Scheme. This is available at the following link:
This impact assessment includes consideration of the impact on patient choice, as well as an assessment of the impact on patients, in line with NHS England’s public sector equality duty.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) patients will continue to benefit from the Right to Choose their provider at the point of referral. None of the proposed changes to the NHS Payment Scheme included in the consultation would change this.
Local integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for planning service provision in their local area, including for ADHD assessments and medication. In doing so, ICBs should take account of waiting lists, considering how local funding can be deployed to best meet the needs of their local population.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
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 potential impact of the 2025/26 NHS Payment Scheme Consultation on existing waiting times for an ADHD diagnosis.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As required by law, NHS England has assessed the impact of the proposed NHS Payment Scheme. This is available at the following link:
This impact assessment includes consideration of the impact on patient choice, as well as an assessment of the impact on patients, in line with NHS England’s public sector equality duty.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) patients will continue to benefit from the Right to Choose their provider at the point of referral. None of the proposed changes to the NHS Payment Scheme included in the consultation would change this.
Local integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for planning service provision in their local area, including for ADHD assessments and medication. In doing so, ICBs should take account of waiting lists, considering how local funding can be deployed to best meet the needs of their local population.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to increase investment into the children's mental health system to (a) reduce waiting times for and (b) increase access to support.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is unacceptable that too many children and young people are not receiving the mental health care they need, and we know that waits for mental health services are far too long. That is why we will recruit 8,500 additional mental health workers across both adult and children and young people’s mental health services. We are discussing our future investment in children and young people’s mental health services.
The Department of Health and Social Care is working with the Department for Education to consider how to deliver our manifesto commitment of accessing a specialist mental health professional in every school. We need to ensure any support meets the needs of young people, teachers, parents, and carers. This includes considering the role of existing programmes of support with evidence of a positive impact, such as Mental Health Support Teams in schools and colleges.
Alongside this we are working toward rolling out Young Futures hubs in every community, offering open access mental health services for young people.
The Mental Health Bill currently before Parliament will deliver the Government’s commitment to modernise the Mental Health Act 1983, so that it is fit for the 21st century. The Bill will amend the Act, which applies to England and Wales, and give patients detained under the Act greater choice, autonomy, rights, and support.