Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to utilise private sector capacity to (a) reduce backlogs and (b) improve services in the NHS; and if he will ensure that the NHS remains free at the point of use.

Independent sector providers have a role to play in supporting the National Health Service as trusted partners to recover elective services by using additional capacity to tackle the backlog, whilst delivering value for money. The independent sector plays a vital role in supporting hospitals to get on top of the backlog, so we can deliver more than 100,000 elective appointments and procedures every week for NHS patients.

In January 2025, the NHS and the independent sector established a partnership agreement, the first of its kind for 25 years, setting out how we will work together to reduce the elective care waiting list. This will see more NHS patients able to choose to be treated in a private hospital where there is capacity, at no cost to patients. As a balanced agreement, the independent sector will support broader work to grow the overall elective workforce, provide training opportunities, and continue to meet the same high standards expected of all providers. It will also see the independent sector play a greater role in supporting the most challenged specialities, such as ear, nose, and throat and gynaecology, while helping to give patients in more deprived areas a greater choice of where and when they receive treatment.

The Government is steadfast in its commitment to the guiding principles of the NHS. The NHS will always be free at the point of use and will never be for sale to the private sector.