Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the (a) availability and (b) eligibility requirements for NHS hernia operations.

No specific assessment has been made of the adequacy of the availability of hernia operations. Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning services, considering the needs of their local population and national guidance, such as that from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

There are several types of hernia and therefore decisions about the eligibility to treat will be based on guidelines and clinical judgement appropriate to the individual circumstances.