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 the (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome.

Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (PoTS) is managed through cardiovascular services, and is managed by specialised cardiologists, linking with expertise from other specialties according to individual patients’ needs. Specialised Cardiology is one of the services which is being delegated to integrated care boards. Improvements in diagnosis and treatment are for local determination within national frameworks and NICE guidance and standards.

As of the end of October 2024, there were 412,017 patient pathways waiting for Cardiology Service, with 59.6%, or 245,532 patient pathways, waiting within 18 weeks. This is far below the 92% 18-week Referral-to-Treatment NHS Constitutional Standard. It is unacceptable that people cannot access the care they need, when they need it.

We have committed to getting back to the 18-week standard by the end of this Parliament. Funding announced in the Autumn Budget will support delivery of an additional 2 million operations, scans, and appointments during our first year in Government, which is equivalent to 40,000 per week, as a first step towards achieving this.

As part of this package, £1.5 billion of capital funding in 2025/26 will enable new surgical hubs and diagnostic scanners to build capacity for over 30,000 additional procedures and over 1.25 million diagnostic tests as they come online.

Dedicated and protected surgical hubs will transform the way the National Health Service provides elective care, improving outcomes for patients and reducing pressures on hospitals. Some hubs offer cardiology treatments and procedures, which could include treatment for PoTS.