In response to the letter headed Nine weeks’ wait for hospital tests, (Have Your Say, August 27), I would like to thank the author for his views.

We understand that waiting for treatment can be a frustrating time and would like to reassure our patients and the public that the NHS is committed to treating patients within 18 weeks of them being referred, as stated in the NHS constitution. The introduction of the 18-week referral to treatment pathway has dramatically reduced the waiting times for diagnostics to the shortest in NHS history.

We are aware, however, of a temporary delay to the normal waiting times we offer for some diagnostics, which we are working hard to resolve as soon as possible. I would like to stress that GPs can make urgent referrals of a maxi-mum two weeks’ wait, where they deem this is clinically appropriate.

We do, where possible, strive to offer our patients choice of where to have treatment, recognising the importance of this to both themselves and their relatives.

If the writer would like to discuss this further please contact me on feedback@bp-pct.nhs.uk Caroline Dawe, interim director of acute and specialist commissioning, Bournemouth and Poole PCT