Patients: Social Class
Commons · Question 28803 · Tabled 10 Sep 2026 · Department of Health and Social Care · Official record
Answered 17 Sep 2026
Question
Asked by Alex Burghart
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance (a) her Department and (b) NHS England has given on whether socio-economic background of the patient can be a material consideration by the NHS when prioritising patients for elective
Answer
Answered by Karin Smyth, 17 Sep 2026
All waiting lists are subject to clinical prioritisation at a local level. The National Health Service triages patients waiting for elective care, including surgery, so that the order in which they are seen reflects clinical judgement of need as well as t...