Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether patients who have waited longer than 18 weeks for consultant-led elective treatment have a right to request transfer to an alternative NHS or NHS-funded independent-sector provider able to treat them sooner.

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.

When notified, 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/