Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients in the North West have waited more than 18 months for NHS treatment in each month since July 2024; and what assessment she has made of the reasons for those delays.

The Hon Member can find the requested data at the link below:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/

The historic time series shows that elective waiting times increased substantially between 2010 and 2024, reaching their highest recorded level towards the end of that period.

The Hon Member can find a comprehensive assessment of the reasons for that decline in performance in the independent report published by Lord Darzi in September 2024 on the state of the National Health Service, available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-investigation-of-the-nhs-in-england