§ Mr. CorbynTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what action she is taking to reduce waiting lists for elective surgery in Camden and Islington health authority.
§ Mr. MaloneIt is for Camden and Islington health authority to ensure that the shortest possible waiting times are available to its resident population from the hospitals with which it has contracts, and to ensure that at the very least the maximum waits guaranteed under the patients charter are not exceeded.
Under the new patients charter which comes into effect in April we have reduced the maximum time patients will have to wait for elective surgery from two years to 18 months from the date of their going on to a waiting list.