Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board on steps to reduce the number of patients awaiting treatment in Heywood and Middleton North constituency.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are accountable to NHS England. The NHS Oversight Framework outlines NHS England’s approach to overseeing and monitoring ICB performance, and NHS England regional teams have regular review meetings with ICBs, the frequency of which will vary according to the governance arrangements, but they should be at least quarterly.

More broadly, the Government is working to reduce the number of patients awaiting treatment across the country, including those in Heywood and Middleton North. The Elective Reform Plan, launched as part of the Government’s Plan for Change, sets out how we will get back to the NHS Constitutional Standard, that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment (RTT) by the end of this Parliament, and will also ensure patients have the best possible experience of care.

We have set an ambition for 2025/26 that we reach 65% of patients waiting no longer than 18 weeks nationally, and for all trusts to deliver a minimum 5% improvement by March 2026. We will also publish minimum standards of care that patients can expect to experience, and will make digital improvements, including to the NHS App, to provide patients with greater choice, control, and flexibility.

Across the country, dedicated and protected surgical hubs are transforming the way the National Health Service provides elective care, by focussing on high volume low complexity surgeries. In the Heywood and Middleton North constituency, there are two such surgical hubs serving patients, the Fairfield General Hospital Elective Surgical Hub, and the Rochdale Infirmary Elective Surgical Hub.