Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his statement of 6 January 2025 on Health and Social Care Reform, Official Report, columns 595 to 598, what steps he is taking to ensure equal access to healthcare in rural and urban areas.

The Government recognises the health inequalities faced by rural communities in England, particularly around access to healthcare services. In response, we are working closely across the department, with NHS England and regional Directors of Public Health to develop approaches that address these inequalities so that no person or community is left behind.

The Government is committed to putting patients first, including in both rural and urban areas. This means making sure that all patients are seen on time and ensuring that people have the best possible experience during their care.

On 6 January 2025, NHS England published the new Elective Reform Plan, part of the Government’s Plan for Change, which sets out a whole system approach to hitting the 18-week Referral to Treatment target by the end of this Parliament. The plan sets out the reform and productivity efforts needed to ensure that patients are seen on time and have the best possible experience during their care. A copy of the plan is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/reforming-elective-care-for-patients.pdf

We have set an ambition to make progress on the 18-week standard in 2025/26, to 65% nationally and for all trusts to deliver a minimum five percentage point improvement by March 2026. At the end of November 2024, the rate at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust was 48.5%.