Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress NHS Trusts made towards the target of delivering 90 per cent of their last year’s activity for (a) overnight electives and (b) outpatient procedures by October 2020; and if he will make a statement.
On 31 July 2020, guidance was issued to local National Health Service providers and commissioners outlining the next phase of the NHS response to COVID-19 and concurrent non-COVID-19 activity. The guidance is available at the following link:
The guidance set the ambition for recovery of elective services in October to 90% of 2019 levels for admissions, and 100% for outpatients taking into account the need to continue to operate in a COVID-19 environment, with all the necessary infection control measures to keep staff and patients safe. In October 80% of outpatient and 76% of elective activity was delivered.