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 of the covid-19 outbreak on average waiting times for NHS treatment in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England; and what steps his Department is taking to clear backlogs for NHS treatment in those areas.

The COVID-19 outbreak has placed significant pressure on waiting times for National Health Service treatment across England. Comparison of the latest waiting times from January 2021 to January 2020 shows there has been an increase of just under 4 weeks in average (median) waiting times for NHS treatment across England, with an increase of over four weeks for University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust and across the Midlands.

The NHS continues to work hard to deliver the maximum amount of elective activity and reduce waiting times as much as possible across Coventry, the West Midlands and the rest of England.

We have provided £1 billion to help address the elective backlog, as well as a further £6.6 billion funding to support the wider health system. Providers in Coventry and the West Midlands will be supported to maximise elective activity, taking full advantage of the opportunities to transform the delivery of services. We will continue to work with NHS England to ensure all patients across the country receive the best quality treatment and as quickly as possible.