Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce NHS waiting times in West Yorkshire.

Tackling waiting lists is a key part of our Health Mission and a top priority for this government. On 6 January 2025, NHS England published the new Elective Reform Plan, which sets out how we will cut the waiting list and get back to the 18-week constitutional standard so that patients are seen on time and have the best possible experience during their care, including those using the National Health Service in West Yorkshire.

The Elective Reform Plan sets out how we will create an NHS fit for the future, modernising care so that it takes place efficiently and closer to home, prioritising patient experience and ensuring that wherever you live in England, you will be seen, diagnosed and treated in a timely way.

We have already supported this with additional investment in the Autumn Budget 2024, which has enabled us to deliver an additional two million appointments, seven months ahead of schedule. This includes operations, consultations, diagnostic tests, and treatments such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy and endoscopy. These additional appointments will help cut waiting times nationally, including across West Yorkshire.

We will also continue to boost regional capacity to deliver elective care by increasing the number of surgical hubs and expanding and increasing the opening times of community diagnostic centres (CDCs). There are currently seven CDCs and four operational surgical hubs already in West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, with plans to open a further two hubs.