Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of enabling children waiting over 26 weeks for a paediatric appointment to be seen by alternative NHS-commissioned providers.

Patients in England have a right to request their local integrated care board (ICB) find an alternative provider when they have been waiting, or expect to wait, over 18 weeks to begin treatment for consultant-led care.

ICBs are required to take all reasonable steps to ensure the patient is offered an appointment with a clinically appropriate alternative provider with whom an ICB or NHS England has an NHS Standard Contract for the relevant service, who can start their treatment more quickly. Further information is available on the NHS Choice Framework at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-nhs-choice-framework/