§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what account is taken of clinical priorities in respect of the treatment of individual patients in implementing(a) the waiting list initiative and (b) the patients charter.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyIt is for clinicians to decide when a patient should be admitted for treatment having regard to the individual's clinical priority. However, because we believe that no patient should wait excessively for any treatment, under the patients charter, we are introducing a two-year waiting time guarantee from 1 April. We are also investing an additional £39 million through the waiting list fund next year to ensure that everyone is treated within a reasonable time.