Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministerial Statement

Elective Treatment

08 February 2022 · 24 other contributors

Opened by Sajid Javid Con Constituency

NHS

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Sajid Javid raised concerns about elective treatment in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.

Key points

  • The NHS faced unprecedented challenges during the pandemic, including over 700,000 hospital admissions for COVID-19.
  • The backlog of elective care cases increased from around 1,600 before the pandemic to over 300,000 currently.
  • An overall waiting list of 6 million people in England was reported.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Government Statement

Sajid Javid

The NHS, responding with distinction during the pandemic, faced unprecedented challenges, including over 700,000 hospital admissions for COVID-19 and a vaccination programme that helped manage living with the virus. Despite this, non-COVID care was impacted, leading to a backlog of elective care cases increasing from around 1,600 before the pandemic to over 300,000 currently, with an overall waiting list of 6 million people in England. To address this, Javid announced £2 billion for elective recovery and another £8 billion over three years, alongside nearly £6 billion for capital investment for new beds, equipment, and technology. The plan aims to perform at least 9 million extra tests by 2025 and deliver around 30% more elective activity per year compared to pre-pandemic levels in three years' time. Key areas include increasing capacity through recruitment of healthcare workers and expanding use of the independent sector; prioritising care based on clinical need, with ambitious targets for reducing waiting times and disparities; redesigning services by expanding community diagnostic centres and surgical hubs; and improving patient information and support via an online platform called My Planned Care.

Other contributors (24)
  • Grahame Morris Lab Easington

    Question

    What is the Secretary of State doing to address the problem of delayed discharges from hospital, which contributed to around 400,000 cases in November alone?

    Minister reply

    The plan aims to increase capacity and prioritise clinical need, addressing long waiting lists. We will actively offer greater choice to patients on long waiting lists to help reduce these numbers.

  • Kawsar Ali Con Worsley and Eccles South

    Question

    Will the Minister provide a breakdown of the £2 billion funding that he is making available for elective recovery, particularly in respect of primary care?

    Minister reply

    The new funds will be distributed to support hospitals, community diagnostic centres, and other parts of the health service. We are also supporting surgeries and practices with more equipment to carry out routine and urgent procedures.

  • Jonathan Ashworth Lab Leicester South

    Question

    How does the Minister intend to tackle the 10 million missing cases that were not treated during the pandemic, as identified by the NHS?

    Minister reply

    We are investing in capacity through more clinicians and equipment. We will also use independent sector capacity where needed to ensure people get the care they need.

  • Paula Sherriff Lab Dewsbury

    Question

    Does my right hon. Friend agree that the NHS is facing a workforce crisis, and does he acknowledge that staff shortages and recruitment issues are at the heart of the problem?

    Minister reply

    We recognise the challenges with staffing; we have record numbers in training for medical school and nursing, and we will be deploying reservists to support front-line staff.

  • Wes Streeting Lab Ilford North

    Question

    I thank the Secretary of State for advance sight of his statement, but it falls seriously short of the scale of the challenge facing the NHS and the misery that is affecting millions of people stuck on record high NHS waiting lists. There are 93,000 staffing vacancies in the NHS today. Where is the workforce plan?

    Minister reply

    I am surprised with the argument and the tone of the hon. Gentleman. I paid tribute to him last week for supporting the nation’s vaccination programme, but he should reconsider his approach and work together in the national interest.

  • Lucy Allan

    Question

    How will you tackle the staffing crisis?

    Minister reply

    Over the past two years, the number of clinicians in the NHS has risen by about 40,000. In the past year, we have 10,000 more nurses, 5,000 more doctors and more people in medical school than ever before, so a huge amount of record investment is going into the workforce.

  • Barbara Keeley

    Question

    Will you confirm that a broader national health and care recovery plan will be published before April?

    Minister reply

    I thank the hon. Lady for her work on the Committee. She is right to raise the importance of mental health, and I believe there is a lot in this plan on patient care that she will support.

  • Paul Bristow

    Question

    Will you ensure that GIRFT continues to be properly resourced?

    Minister reply

    Absolutely; I agree wholeheartedly with my hon. Friend. There are already 44 surgical hubs up and running across the country, including in London.

  • Chris Bryant Lab Rhondda and Ogmore

    Question

    The key issue seems to be the workforce. It is about trying to ensure that people do not leave the workforce now or do not leave it early. How will the Secretary of State address training enough pathologists every year?

    Minister reply

    I agree with the hon. Gentleman about the importance of the workforce, especially in specialisms like pathology. We are putting record amounts into workforce and training and merging Health Education England with the NHS to enable better planning for future needs.

  • Andrew Murrison Con South West Wiltshire

    Question

    Will the Secretary of State look again at how we structure doctors’ pay and remuneration, especially regarding early retirement?

    Minister reply

    My hon. Friend speaks with experience; yes, we are focusing on retaining talent throughout the NHS. Work has already begun in this area.

  • Daisy Cooper Lib Dem St Albans

    Question

    Where is the plan to fill the almost 100,000 NHS vacancies?

    Minister reply

    The NHS and Health Education England will come up with a long-term workforce plan. The NHS currently has more doctors, nurses, and clinicians than ever before; over 40,000 people have joined in the last two years.

  • Edward Leigh Con Gainsborough

    Question

    May I suggest a policy that would be wildly popular with many of our supporters, such as tax relief to private health insurance?

    Minister reply

    I am always pleased to discuss ideas like this, but I agree on the importance of investing in NHS and workforce.

  • Mick Whitley

    Question

    Does the Secretary of State concede that last year's 3% pay rise was pitiful for frontline staff?

    Minister reply

    I agree with the hon. Gentleman about frontline sacrifices, but on pay, it is right to listen to independent bodies, which will take into account a number of factors.

  • Peter Bone

    Question

    Does he agree that we need to increase the workforce? How then can mandatory vaccination of NHS health workers have been right?

    Minister reply

    I agree with my hon. Friend about workforce importance, but I disagree about comments on mandatory vaccinations; it was all about patient safety.

  • Tim Farron Lib Dem Westmorland and Lonsdale

    Question

    Will he investigate personally why the planned hub for Westmorland general hospital has been delayed until 2023?

    Minister reply

    The hon. Gentleman raises important points about cancer and radiotherapy; I agree on investment in this area, including proton beam therapy.

  • Mark Harper

    Question

    Will he be more ambitious in the plan to get 99% of patients waiting less than a year by March 2024? Will he also say how resources raised through national insurance will flow into social care?

    Minister reply

    My right hon. Friend is right about making sure money is spent wisely; we will set out more detailed plans on healthcare and social care integration.

  • Rachael Maskell Lab Co-op York Central

    Question

    As a clinician, I am astounded by the Secretary of State's solution that will exclude people who experience health and digital inequality. People on waiting lists need physical and psychological support over their wait time rather than access to websites.

    Minister reply

    The Hon. Lady is correct about the importance of addressing health inequalities. While alternatives for those without digital access exist, we aim to leverage digital tools where possible for patient preparation and transparency in 'my planned care' service.

  • Caroline Johnson Con Sleaford and North Hykeham

    Question

    As an NHS doctor, I echo concerns about workforce challenges. While cancer treatment was maintained at 94% pre-pandemic levels during the pandemic, patients often wait a month for care, which is a long time when every day’s delay could be life-threatening.

    Minister reply

    The plan includes ambitious targets and significant investment to improve cancer care, aiming to reduce waiting times through new diagnostic capacity and other measures.

  • Jim Shannon DUP Strangford

    Question

    Statistics show a 10-fold increase in patients waiting six weeks or more for cancer diagnostic tests since pre-pandemic levels. What is the Secretary of State doing to address this backlog?

    Minister reply

    The plan includes investment in new community diagnostic centres and other measures to enhance diagnostic capacity, including quicker access to results.

  • Luke Evans Con Hinckley and Bosworth

    Question

    Welcoming the 'my planned care' website, my question is about expanding it to out-patient settings where patients may have multiple specialists. Additionally, will the Secretary of State encourage further development of technology in patient management?

    Minister reply

    Yes, my hon. Friend's point on leveraging technology for pre-operative checks and out-patient care is well-taken. We are already working towards expanding such services.

  • Stephen Metcalfe

    Question

    Will the Secretary of State work with GPs to increase access to primary care through various communication channels such as email, text, and chat apps for early diagnosis?

    Minister reply

    Yes, we will encourage varied communication channels with GPs to support early diagnosis.

  • Aaron Bell

    Question

    Will the Secretary of State help bring together relevant healthcare providers in Newcastle-under-Lyme to address urgent care issues like long ambulance wait times?

    Minister reply

    The Government invested £55 million over winter to support ambulance services. Further measures are planned as part of healthcare and social care integration.

  • Philip Hollobone

    Question

    Kettering General Hospital is facing population growth alongside backlog clearance, will the Secretary of State ensure that it receives necessary resources?

    Minister reply

    We consider both current and forecasted populations in funding decisions. The Minister for Health plans to visit Kettering General Hospital soon.

Shadow Comment

Wes Streeting

The Labour MP criticised the plan as insufficient, noting that it falls short of addressing workforce shortages and does not contain a comprehensive workforce strategy. He highlighted that there are currently 93,000 staffing vacancies in the NHS and argued for more staff with reduced workload pressures. Streeting also pointed out that half a million patients suspected of having cancer have not been seen in time and that heart and stroke victims wait over two hours for an ambulance. He claimed this is not due to COVID but rather 'Tory mismanagement' before the pandemic, citing record waiting lists, staff shortages, fewer beds, and social care vacancies pre-pandemic.

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