HC Deb 15 May 1995 vol 260 cc99-100W
Mrs. Beckett

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to set a maximum time that a patient should wait on a trolley. [24142]

Mr. Sackville

The patients charter for England sets a new national standard for patients waiting to be admitted to a hospital bed from an accident and emergency department. From 1 April 1995, once a doctor has decided that a patient should be admitted, the patient can expect to be given a bed as soon as possible and certainly within three to four hours. The standard will be improved to two hours from April 1996.