Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to provide mental health support for people waiting for joint replacement surgery.

The Government is committed to putting patients first, including those waiting for joint replacement surgery. Too many people have been left in limbo, with their personal and professional lives on hold waiting for National Health Service treatment. We understand the impact that long waits can have on patients’ mental health, which is why we have committed, in the Government’s Plan for Change, to return to the 18-week Referral to Treatment standard, which has not been met for almost a decade.

We will ensure that patients are not only seen on time but also have the best possible experience of care. Our Elective Reform Plan, published on 6 January 2025, has committed us to working with patients and their carers to co-develop minimum standards for their experience of care.

Dedicated and protected surgical hubs are helping to reduce elective surgery wait times by focusing on high volume low complexity surgeries, such as joint replacement surgery. As of March 2025, there are 114 elective surgical hubs that are operational across England.

The Elective Reform Plan has committed to providing quicker access for patients to common surgical hub procedures by opening 17 new and expanded surgical hubs by June 2025, and by ramping up the number of hubs over the next three years, so even more operations can be carried out near where patients live.