Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of waiting times for (a) diagnosis and (b) beginning treatment for patients with Interstitial Lung Disease and Pulmonary Fibrosis in West Oxfordshire.

No formal assessment has been made. Patients have been let down for too long whilst they wait for the care they need. Tackling waiting lists, including in respiratory medicine, is a key part of our Health Mission. We have delivered almost 2.2 million extra appointments, seven months ahead of schedule, as a first step in our commitment to ensuring that patients can expect to be treated within 18 weeks. This includes operations, consultations, diagnostic tests, and treatments.

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 by the end of this Parliament, while also ensuring that patients have the best possible experience of care.

The Government has also secured an investment of £1.5 billion to fund new surgical hubs, diagnostics scanners, and beds across the estate, which will support the diagnosis and treatment of patients with interstitial lung disease and pulmonary fibrosis.