Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of operations that the NHS will procure in private hospitals over the next three months.

No estimate has been made. Since 1 April 2021, national contracting with independent sector providers has come to an end and commissioning has returned to local arrangements. It is therefore the decision of local National Health Service commissioners and trusts to contract with independent providers for the capacity they require.

Through the Elective Recovery Fund, £2 billion has been made available for tackling backlogs in treatment this year, part of which will be used to fund systems for independent sector capacity above 2019/20 levels. The partnership between the NHS and independent sector will continue to play a role in both dealing with the pandemic and securing elective recovery.