New Patient Rights Confirmed

New patient rights confirmed – 8 March 2010

Duty on maximum waiting times will be added to the NHS Constitution

NHS patients will get legal rights on the maximum waiting times for elective treatment and for urgent cancer referrals.

The Department of Health (DH) will also work with Marie Curie Cancer Care to develop a new right to die at home if a patient wants to.

The announcements are the result of a national consultation on adding new patient rights to the NHS Constitution. Read the NHS Constitution available below in the downloads section.

No more long waits

From 1 April, the Constitution will legally require that patients are treated by a consultant within 18 weeks of GP referral, and seen by a specialist within two weeks of an urgent GP referral for suspected cancer.

If this commitment isn’t met, the NHS will have to take all reasonable steps to offer them a range of alternative providers. More details on the right to die at home will be set out in the next parliament.

Nine out of ten people who took part in the consultation supported this new right. More details on the finished consultation and the Government’s response both on the Department of Health website.