§ Mr. BestTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will make a statement on allergy services in England; [183319]
(2) what the average length of time is that a patient has to wait to see a NHS allergy specialist. [183319]
§ Dr. LadymanThe national health service improvement programme, "Putting People at the Heart of Public Services", sets out the commitment that the NHS will build a responsive service tailored to people living with long-term conditions including allergies. There are already substantial initiatives which will help patients with long term diseases, including
The development of standards for better health.The expert patient programme.The chronic disease management programme.Food Standards agency work on food allergy.The new general practitioner contract.It is the role of primary care trusts, in partnership with local stakeholders, to decide what services to provide to meet the health needs of their populations, including those with allergies. They are best placed to understand local health care needs and commission services to meet them.
Information on the average length of time a patient waits to see a NHS allergy specialist is not held centrally. This is because a patient with an allergy can be seen by a range of specialists including dermatologists, immunologists and respiratory disease physicians, as well as allergists. We expect that any patient being referred for a first outpatient appointment by their general practitioner should be seen within the national 17 week maximum waiting time.