Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has he made of the capacity of the health system to provide the (a) therapies and (b) support that disabled children may have missed during the covid-19 outbreak.

No specific assessment has been made. In 2020, NHS England and NHS Improvement published guidance making clear that restoration of essential community services, including therapeutic support, must be prioritised for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities aged up to 25 years old and who have an Education Health and Care Plan in place or who are going through an assessment for one. On 25 March 2021 NHS England and NHS Improvement issued 2021/22 operational planning guidance​, including an elective recovery framework and expectations in relation to re-establishing services.