Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2024 to Question 15631 on NHS: Translation Services , what the reason was for the change in the number of e-RS letters sent out in (a) 2019/20 and (b) 2020/21.

The main reason for the change in the number of e-Referral Service (e-RS) letters sent out in 2019/20 and 2020/21 was the COVID-19 pandemic, which reduced the number of referrals being created in the National Health Service e-RS. In addition, in early 2020, NHS England halved the number of e-RS letters sent to patients where their referral was considered Routine, as it had not been classified as either Urgent or for Suspected Cancer.