Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect on (a) patients and (b) wider society of delayed or cancelled elective procedures in hospitals in England as a result of the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.

Latest statistics show that, since the start of the pandemic, the elective waiting list increased from 4,235,970 in March 2020 to 4,442,107 in October 2020. This compares with a waiting list of 4,446,299 in October 2019. The number of patients waiting over 52 weeks for treatment has risen from 3,097 in March 2020 to 162,888 in October 2020.

NHS England has worked with patient groups and clinicians to ensure that patients who may be subject to delayed or cancelled procedures are provided with support. A national clinical stratification programme has been established to ensure that every patient waiting for surgery by the end of December has a shared decision-making discussion about their treatment.