Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in the context of the commitment in the NHS’ Delivery plan for tackling the covid-19 backlog of elective care published on 8 February 2022, if he will take steps to ensure that no patient will be waiting longer than two years for NHS treatment by the end of July 2022.

The National Health Service has developed a tiered programme of support and scrutiny for patients who have experienced the longest waiting times. This involves support from expert teams and a national mutual aid programme to match patients to providers with capacity. Patients waiting up to two years for treatment are being offered greater choice in where they receive treatment to suit their individual circumstances.

We have provided more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25 to increase activity in elective services, in addition to the £2 billion Elective Recovery Fund and £700 million Targeted Investment Fund.