Non-covid Treatments 2020-10-06

2020-10-06

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Response quality

Questions & Answers

Q1 Direct Answer
Caroline Johnson Con
Sleaford and North Hykeham
Context
Concerns about patients accessing treatments and procedures post-pandemic due to reduced services.
What steps he is taking to ensure that patients with illnesses other than covid-19 can access the treatments and procedures that their diagnosis requires?
It is vital that non-covid treatments are restored as quickly and safely as possible. That is what the NHS is doing. It is working to have them restored, by October, to around 90% of last year's levels.
Assessment & feedback
Response accuracy
Q2 Partial Answer
Caroline Johnson Con
Sleaford and North Hykeham
Context
Children's hospital services were reduced during the pandemic, raising concerns about current service availability and future pandemic waves.
Thankfully, children are relatively robust in the face of coronavirus. However, children's services, like other hospital services, were understandably reduced during the pandemic. What is my hon. Friend doing to ensure that paediatric services are now 100% up and running and will not be affected by a future wave of the pandemic? What is he doing to support NHS trusts in dealing with the backlog of appointments delayed by the coronavirus?
I pay tribute to my hon. Friend for her service to her constituents both as their MP and as a paediatric clinician. She is right to raise this important issue. Restoration guidance has already been published by NHS England and NHS Improvement, setting out a framework to fully restore services in this area, which I agree is vital. I would be very happy to meet her to discuss this further.
Assessment & feedback
Specific measures for 100% recovery of paediatric services and dealing with appointment backlogs not addressed directly
Response accuracy