Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Referral-to-Treatment Waiting Lists

Tuesday 23 June 2020 · 1 question

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ruth Cadbury questioned the government about the assessment of trends in referral-to-treatment waiting lists.
  • The government contracted private health providers for 8,000 bed spaces to ensure capacity in the NHS.
  • The government responded that contracting to maintain NHS capacity was not a waste of money and they continue to work with the independent sector and NHS to restart elective surgeries and other non-emergency procedures.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Ruth Cadbury Lab Brentford and Isleworth
NHS
Context

The recent reduction in NHS waiting lists due to fewer referrals during the pandemic raises concerns about future treatment availability.

Question

What assessment has been made of trends in referral-to-treatment waiting lists? The Government contracted private health providers for 8,000 bed spaces but significant capacity was underused. How can we ensure money is not wasted again and that patients receive necessary treatments?

Answer from Edward Argar (Minister for Patient Safety)

I do not think contracting to ensure sufficient capacity in our NHS at all times, so that it was never overwhelmed, which it has not been, was a waste of money. We continue to work with the independent sector and the broader NHS to get elective surgery and other non-emergency procedures restarted at pace.

Answered
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