What guidelines has the Welsh Government issued to health boards regarding individual patient funding requests when waiting lists are longer than the guidelines?
I expect all patients to be seen in order of clinical priority and within the Welsh Government waiting times standards. This includes patients whose clinician wishes to provide a treatment that is not routinely available and requires an application to the Individual Patient Funding Requests (IPFR) system. The NHS Wales IPFR national guidance requires these applications to be dealt with quickly and the decision of the panel conveyed within five working days. Many applications are for the treatment of very seriously ill individuals and all health boards have special emergency procedures in place to deal with urgent cases.