Surgery: Health Professions

(asked on 21st July 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report entitled, Elective Surgery During COVID-19, published in June 2020 by the Royal College of Surgeons, what steps he plans to take to increase the level of the NHS workforce available for elective surgery.


Answered by
Edward Argar Portrait
Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
This question was answered on 1st September 2020

Guidance has been issued to National Health Service providers and commissioning trusts on resetting non-COVID-19 services, including elective surgery. Decisions on how this is done, including apportionment of the workforce, will be taken at local level, based on local demand and local capacity. Infection control will be a guiding principle in the safe resumption of services.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, qualified staff who have previously left the NHS have been encouraged to return to the NHS to increase the available workforce. Additionally, an unprecedented deal with the independent sector will support the NHS in delivering elective surgery whilst maintaining capacity to deal with a potential second surge in COVID-19 cases.

Reticulating Splines