To ask the Minister of Health to detail the principles governing the use and retrospective application of rationing healthcare rules, including how such cases are assessed and counted.

The Effective Use of Resources (EUR) Policy sets out referral criteria for a range of procedures. The policy was reviewed and updated to reflect emerging clinical evidence from NICE and similar bodies, ensuring decisions are based on best practice and fairness.

Implemented in 2023, the updated EUR policy supports transparency and consistency in decision making. GPs must confirm patients meet the defined clinical criteria before referral to secondary care, while Trusts are responsible for compliance with commissioning positions.

When an assessment is made that the patient does not meet EUR criteria, the referral will either be returned to the GP (if at point of referral), or the patient will be discharged (if at the point of outpatient assessment). There are however instances where it will be clinically appropriate to proceed on a case by case basis. It would be anticipated that an EUR panel would consider such cases, rather than individual Consultant oversight/ decision making.

Work is underway to explore how future monitoring of restricted procedures can be effectively integrated into the new digital infrastructure.