FOI 2026/1705

1. Does the integrated care board have any policy in place for a minimum wait for treatment for elective procedures?
2. If yes to question 1, please provide details of the policy.
3. Has the trust introduced any changes to the referral criteria for any of the following procedures since 1^st May 2023?
   1. Hip surgery
   2. Knee surgery
   3. Cataract treatment
4. If yes to question 3, please provide details or a link to the policy and if possible, please indicate which detail has been updated.

1. NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board (NHS GM) does not hold any policies or documents requested relating to first appointment times. NHS GM commissions elective services in line with national NHS standards, including the Referral to Treatment (RTT) right set out in the NHS Constitution. To support parity and consistency across providers, a minimum routine waiting period was applied for Independent Sector Providers, operating wholly within the 18‑week RTT standard and allowing providers to manage and complete elective pathways appropriately. Allowances for clinically urgent care were built in to ensure no patient requiring urgent assessment or treatment was affected.

To assist you please find below links to the national and local constitution.

NHS Constitution for England – GOV.UK

NHS GM Constitution

2. N/A
3. NHS Greater Manchester ICB does not hold any information on Trust referral criteria or any changes that have been made. For further information on referral criteria or changes made since 1^st May 2023 please contact Trusts directly. The ICB does publish its commissioning statements on its website and is available here.
4. N/A
5. N/A
6. N/A
7. N/A