Written question asked by Jonathan Ashworth (Labour) on Tuesday, 1 May 2018, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 3 May 2018. It was answered by Steve Barclay (Conservative) on Thursday, 10 May 2018 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Paediatrics

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve diagnosis and treatment times in paediatric services.

Answer: Paediatric services are covered by the Referral to Treatment (RTT) waiting times standard that requires commissioners to make arrangements to ensure that at least 92% of patients referred to see a consultant-led team should start their treatment within 18 weeks. Part of the £1.6 billion additional funding that the National Health Service will receive in 2018/19 will be used to deliver the actions set out in the NHS planning guidance for 2018-19 as key steps towards recovering performance on core access standards, including RTT.

Secondary information