Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to reduce waiting times for (a) gastric band, (b) gastric bypass, (c) sleeve gastrectomy, (d) duodenal switch and (e) other bariatric surgeries.

The elective recovery plan set clear ambitions to eliminate long waits for planned National Health Service treatment. To help achieve this goal, NHS England trusts and organisations have been transforming the way they deliver elective care through initiatives focussed on increasing activity, managing demand and increasing productivity.

This includes driving productivity through the development of new surgical hubs to increase theatre productivity, and as of December 2023 there are 94 hubs in operation carrying out surgeries.