Health Secretary Andy Burnham has announced that NHS patients are to be given more say on waiting times from 1 April.

A consultation has revealed that nearly nine out of 10 of those who responded to the consultation on new legal rights for patients said that they supported proposals to offer patients the right to maximum waiting times for elective treatment and for urgent cancer referrals – as well as the right for the NHS to look for an alternative provider if it is not possible to meet the maximum waiting time within NHS providers.

The Department of Health (DoH) will also now work with Marie Curie Cancer Care’s chief executive, Thomas Hughes-Hallett, on developing a right for people to die at home should they wish to.

Detailed proposals will be set out in the next Parliament, said the DoH.

On Monday (08/03/10) after the results of the consultation were announced, Mr Burnham said:

‘Gone are the days of 18-month waiting times.  Now average waiting times, from referral to treatment, are around 8 weeks – and rapid access to cancer specialists is saving lives across the country. 

‘Now we are going to build on this strong foundation.

‘Patients and the public have shown their overwhelming support for locking in the progress that the NHS has made – by turning targets into rights, we are giving patients the power to demand the services they are entitled to,’ he added.

‘As the NHS continues to improve, so will its Constitution – that is why we are already looking ahead at future rights. 

‘In particular, we want to press ahead with greater choice around end-of-life care – and in the next Parliament, we will bring forward proposals on a right for people to choose to die at home if they wish.’

Marie Curie’s chief executive Thomas Hughes-Hallett added that giving patients the choice over where they spent their last days had the potential to make ‘a huge impact’ on how and where the dying were cared for.

‘Marie Curie Cancer Care has been working closely with the Department of Health since 2004 towards ensuring more people are able to die in the place of their choice,’ he said.

‘The challenge now is to make sure we have the right services in the right place at the right time to make this choice a reality for patients and carers in the future.

Mr Hughes-Hallett added:

‘In addition, nearly eight out of 10 supported a new patient right to an NHS Health Check every five years for all those eligible aged 40-74, to assess their risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease.’

Commenting on the consultation, the Health Secretary said:

‘The positive response to this consultation confirms the support for an NHS Constitution.  As the NHS strives to move from good to great and becomes more people-centred and preventative, the Constitution will ensure that all the improvements it makes can be safeguarded for generations to come.’

As a result of the consultation, from 1 April, NHS patients will have the legal right to start treatment by a consultant within 18 weeks of GP referral – and to be seen by a specialist within 2 weeks of an urgent GP referral for suspected cancer.

If this does not happen, the NHS will be legally obliged to take ‘all reasonable steps’ to offer the patient a range of alternative providers. 

From 1 April 2012, everyone between the ages of 40 and 74 who is eligible will have the legal right to an NHS Health Check every five years.

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