§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what is his policy on waiting times for initial appointments in NHS trust hospitals; [1170]
(2) if he will make a statement on waiting times for hospital appointments (a) in the NHS and (b) in private medical care. [1171]
§ Mr. MaloneDecisions on how quickly patients are seen following out-patient referral must be based on an assessment of clinical priority made by doctors. The revised patients charter, which came into effect on 1 April 1995, contains a national standard for the maximum time patients should have to wait for their first out-patient appointment: all patients should be seen within 26 weeks of written referral by their general practitioner, and nine out of 10 patients in each trust should be seen within 13 weeks.
The latest information available shows that in the quarter ended 31 June, 85 per cent. of patients seen had waited less than 13 weeks and 97 per cent. had waited less than 26 weeks. Where the standard is not being met, hospitals are required to have in place an action plan to reduce the waiting time to the charter standard.
No information is available centrally on appointments taking place in the private sector.