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 treatment for patients with Pectus Excavatum.

There are a number of non-surgical management options to support people diagnosed with a pectus deformity, including posture and exercise programmes, bracing, and psychological support.

For surgical treatments, NHS England reviewed the evidence to treat pectus excavatum in patients and issued an interim clinical commissioning urgent policy statement published in April 2023. NHS England concluded that there is enough evidence to make surgical treatment available as a routine commissioning treatment option for patients of all ages with pectus excavatum resulting in very severe physiological symptoms. The criteria for surgery can be found at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/PRN00394-interim-clinical-commissioning-urgent-policy-statement-pectus-surgery.pdf