Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to help support people who are required to travel outside of their local area for orthopaedic surgery.

Patients across England can receive help travelling to National Health Service facilities within and beyond their local area, including for orthopaedic surgery. The NHS Non-Emergency Patient Transport Service provides between 11 to 12 million journeys each year in England for people whose medical needs require such support. The NHS also has an existing Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme, which can support travel costs for individuals on a low income who are referred for NHS treatment. The NHS is currently developing proposals to simplify and streamline access to the scheme, alongside wider measures to improve patient transport.