Health Services: Waiting Lists
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps integrated care boards are required to take when a patient awaiting consultant-led elective treatment has waited longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment.
Answered by Karin Smyth
Patients in England have a right to request their local integrated care board (ICB) find an alternative provider when they have been waiting, or expect to wait, over 18 weeks to begin treatment for consultant-led care.
When notified, ICBs are required to take all reasonable steps to ensure the patient is offered an appointment with a clinically appropriate alternative provider with whom an ICB or NHS England has an NHS Standard Contract for the relevant service who can start their treatment more quickly.
Further information is available on the NHS Choice Framework at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-nhs-choice-framework/
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