Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to increase the availability of (a) daily and (b) weekly surgical appointments for operations in NHS hospitals.

As set out in the Plan for Change, we are committed to returning to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients, including those waiting for surgical appointments, wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029.

We are investing in additional capacity to deliver appointments to help bring lists and waiting times down. We provided additional investment in the Autumn Budget that has enabled us to fulfil our pledge to deliver over two million more elective care appointments early. More than double that number, 4.9 million more appointments, have now been delivered.

We are also continuing to deliver dedicated and protected surgical hubs to deliver high volume low complexity (HVLC) surgery more efficiently. Surgical hubs help to create additional capacity for surgical appointments, whilst improving outcomes for patients. Health Foundation analysis found that HVLC activity was on average 21.9% higher in a trust with a new hub in the first year of opening, with effects seen within three months of opening.

We have committed to increase the number of surgical hubs over the next three years on top of the 120 currently operational. At the Autumn Budget 2024, my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced an additional £1.65 billion in funding to support NHS performance across secondary and emergency care, including for surgical hubs.