Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made on making pectus surgery available as a treatment on the NHS.

There are a range of surgical and non-surgical treatments available through the National Health Service in England to manage pectus deformity and individuals may be referred to a thoracic surgical clinic for advice. Treatment options are determined by an assessment of the type of pectus deformity, degree of deformity, simple versus mixed deformity and whether the deformity is isolated or part of a syndrome.

In most cases, while surgery can correct the chest wall deformity, surgical intervention does not take place. The majority of people experience only mild physical or psychological symptoms associated with having a pectus deformity. In these cases, non-surgical options include posture, exercise programmes, bracing and psychological support.