Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the cumulative cancer backlog of undiagnosed, relapsed, and delayed treatments in Birmingham as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

There are plans in place to protect cancer services across Birmingham and Solihull, with the implementation of COVID-secure sites at Solihull Hospital and Queen Elizabeth Hospital, which has enabled cancer treatments and other clinically urgent patients to be prioritised in a COVID-safe environment.

At the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital and Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospitals, there are no significant backlogs for cancer at present. At University Hospitals Birmingham, the number of patients in the backlog for cancer treatment are being monitored weekly. The 104 day backlog has reduced since mid-July by 48%.

Work continues to ensure there is a shared understanding of waiting times and utilisation of all available diagnostic and treatment capacity, including that in the independent sector, to reduce waiting times and backlogs.