To ask the Minister of Health why Health and Social Care Trusts are contacting patients inquiring if they still require their hospital appointment.

The requirement to undertake regular waiting list validation is detailed in the Integrated Elective Access Protocol (IEAP). The IEAP defines the roles and responsibilities of all those involved in the elective pathway, sets out how data should be recorded and outlines good practice in the effective management of outpatient, diagnostic and inpatient waiting lists. This good practice includes a continuous process of data validation to ensure data accuracy at all times. Undertaking this validation process helps reduce the number of outpatient appointments which are lost due to patient DNAs (did not attends) or CANCs (cancellations).