Written questions

Health Services: Standards

2026-06-03 · Department of Health and Social Care · 6793 · Official question

Dr Luke Evans

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the compatibility of minimum waiting time policies with the NHS Constitution for England, including patients’ rights to access services within maximum wai

Answer

There is no formal national policy supporting minimum waits in the National Health Service. However, the NHS Standard Contract allows local commissioners to set activity planning assumptions to plan demand, capacity, and expenditure.It is important to not...