Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many private hospital beds have been (a) booked by NHS providers, (b) used by NHS providers and (c) unused since the start of March 2020.

The information on the number of patients treated by private sector providers is not collected in the format requested. The following services and diagnostic tests were carried out by private sector providers:

• Cardiology;

• Cardiothoracic surgery;

• Dermatology;

• Ear, nose and throat;

• Gastroenterology;

• General medicine;

• General surgery;

• Gynaecology;

• Neurology;

• Neurosurgery;

• Ophthalmology;

• Oral surgery;

• Plastic surgery;

• Rheumatology;

• Thoracic medicine;

• Trauma and orthopaedics;

• Urology;

• Magnetic resonance imaging;

• Computed tomography; and

• Endoscopy.

Information on the number of private hospital beds which were booked, used or unused by National Health Service providers is not held centrally.