Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will instigate a national review of referral-to-treatment data.

All parts of the National Health Service have a role to play in ensuring waiting time data are recorded accurately. The rules governing the measurement of consultant-led referral to treatment times are published in detail and can be accessed at the following link:

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

Referral to treatment data are reviewed on an ongoing basis and there are a wide range of existing processes in place to ensure that they are of good quality.

Primary responsibility for ensuring waiting time data are produced in line with those rules rests with the chief executive of each trust and foundation trust.

From April 2015, NHS Improvement has required all trust annual governance statements to include an explicit statement on how the trust will assure waiting time data quality, accuracy and risks. NHS Improvement has also mandated regular assurance of waiting times data within their respective accountability frameworks for trusts and foundation trusts through internal audit, external audit or quality reports.