Written questions

Health Services: Standards

2026-06-03 · Department of Health and Social Care · 6794 · Official question

Dr Luke Evans

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data is held by NHS England on the use and impact of minimum waiting time policies across Integrated Care Boards; and whether this information is collected centrally.

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...