§ Mr. Bill MichieTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what action is being taken to reduce the time 657W between patients with non-life threatening conditions being referred by their general practitioners and their appointments with specialist consultants. [97650]
§ Mr. DenhamOn 6 September, following a top level meeting of National Health Service staff and health ministers at Downing Street, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced a package of measures to tackle waiting times to see a consultant. These included the extension of the National Booked Admissions Programme, tough new monitoring of outpatient performance and an additional £30 million to improve outpatient services. This money will go direct to the NHS to tackle problem areas locally—providing extra outpatient clinics, employing additional staff and investing in new medical equipment.