Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he has taken to ensure that his Department's 2015-16 tariff proposals do not affect patient access and waiting times.

The 2015/16 tariff proposals are developed and published by Monitor, who under the 2012 Health and Social Care Act are the legally responsible organisation. Monitor’s impact assessment for 2015/16 National Tariff proposal sets out the likely impact on the quality of healthcare provided in England.

As part of their contracts, commissioners should agree with providers a suitable set of quality measures and targets that can provide a timely indication of clinical outcomes and patient experience. These measures should reflect a broad definition of quality, including clinical outcomes, patient experience and safety.