§ Mr. Frank FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has made available on the maximum amount of time that a patient seeking elective surgery should have to wait(a) for an appointment with a consultant and (b) for an operation following that consultation before being offered the choice of faster treatment in an alternative hospital. [170657]
§ Mr. Hutton[holding answer 4 May 2004]: The NHS Plan sets out the maximum waiting time targets for consultant led services. As at 1 April 2004, the current maximum waiting time standard for first outpatient appointment following a referral from a general practitioner or general dental practitioner is 17 weeks. The maximum waiting time for inpatient admission following the decision to admit by the consultant is nine months.
Choice of hospital for patients who are expected to wait longer than six months for elective surgery is being rolled out between April and August this year. "Guidance (Choice of Hospital, Guidance for PCTs, NHS Trusts and SHAs on offering patients choice of where they are treated)" issued in July 2003 sets out the responsibilities of national health service organisations in delivering choice of hospital to patients waiting longer than six months.
The guidance advises that patients who are expected to wait more than six months for elective surgery should be contacted at the earliest opportunity and certainly before they have waited five and a half months. Patients may need to be contacted earlier to allow an offer of faster treatment.
Strategic health authority plans for the implementation of choice of hospital for patients waiting longer than six months set out the local arrangements for offering patients faster treatment in an alternative hospital.