Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will increase funding for outpatient (a) services and (b) staff training.

The Department does not currently have plans to increase funding specifically for outpatient services or staff training. Outpatient transformation and recovery is supported by the existing elective recovery funding package and we are working closely with NHS England to establish how best to support the National Health Service to transform the way they provide outpatient care.