Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department will make an assessment of the adequacy of NHS targets for incentivising improvement in patient experience.

The Government is committed to putting patients first, ensuring that they are seen on time, and that they have the best possible experience while they wait for care. Although no specific assessment has been made of the adequacy of National Health Service targets for incentivising improvement in patient experience, the Government is committed to making improvements. We have an ambitious set of targets that will tackle issues that matter to patients, including returning to the NHS Constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment.

We also want to improve experience for patients living with complex, long-term, or serious illnesses, like cancer. We are committed to meeting all three NHS cancer waiting time standards across England, so that no patient waits longer than they should for cancer diagnosis or treatment.