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Written question asked by Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour) on Friday, 19 June 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 23 June 2026. It was answered by Sharon Hodgson (Labour) on Monday, 29 June 2026 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Atrial Fibrillation: Surgery

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the number of atrial fibrillation patients eligible for a left atrial appendage occlusion procedure in (a) Slough and (b) the South East.

Answer

Left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) is a prescribed specialised service and is commissioned in accordance with NHS England’s published national clinical commissioning policy, which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/clinical-commissioning-policy-left-atrial-appendage-occlusion-for-patients-with-atrial-fibrillation-and-relative-or-absolute-contraindications-to-anticoagulation-adults/

NHS England’s regional specialised commissioners and integrated care boards are responsible for the monitoring of activity, reviewing of equity of access for their populations, and addressing variation through local oversight and clinical networks. Therefore, assessment would best be made at local levels.

For the same reason, information on the number of patients eligible for LAAO in Slough or the South East is not held centrally by the Department.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
11438
Session
2026-27
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Surgery South East Atrial fibrillation
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk