Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his department has made an assessment of the potential impact of (a) delays of over 12 months for diagnoses to secure medication and (b) temporary inability to work until that medication is secured on (i) the economy and (ii) the NHS.

We have not made such an assessment on the impact of delays to diagnoses to secure medication or on the impact of patients waiting for medication being out of work.

It is a priority of the Government to bring down National Health Service waiting lists. As set out in the Plan for Change, we are committed to returning to the NHS constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment by March 2029. Where clinically appropriate, treatment will include medication.

Most patients will require one or more diagnostic test as part of their care. While most patients will receive a diagnostic test within weeks, there remain too many patients waiting in excess of six weeks. In June 2025, the period of the latest published data, 21.3% of patients waiting for a diagnostic test had been waiting for six weeks or more.

One of the reasons it is so important we focus on bringing down waiting lists for patients to receive treatment they need, including medication, is to allow them to continue with their day-to-day activities and employment. The Joint Work and Health Directorate is collaborating with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to improve the evidence on the relationship between health and labour market outcomes.

The ONS plans to link NHS waiting times data, to which they recently acquired access, to Census, Department for Work and Pensions Benefits and HM Revenue and Customs Pay As You Earn records to analyse the relationship between waiting time duration, for various health conditions and procedures, and labour market outcomes such as employment status, gross pay and benefit receipt in England. ONS will confirm in due course when related analysis will be made available.