The Health and Social Care Committee has launched a new inquiry to quantify
the level of pent-up demand for key healthcare services, and to
consider whether fundamental changes to the organisation and
delivery of NHS services will be required to manage the backlog
of cases caused by the pandemic.
MPs will examine levels of funding, capacity, organisation and
leadership for addressing the current backlog for non-covid
health services, and concerns that these issues are likely to
continue in the longer-term. There will be a focus on elective
surgery, emergency care, General Practice, mental health, and
long-covid.
Health and Social Care Committee Chair Rt Hon
MP said:
“With waiting lists in England projected to more than
double in the coming months, we need to consider whether a more
fundamental change will be needed in how we deliver NHS
treatment.
“While additional funding will be critical, we also need
to evaluate the way services are set up and organised in order to
meet demand for non-covid care as well as treatment for
conditions related to the pandemic, such as long-covid.
“This inquiry will consider what more can be done to
ensure we have the right organisation to meet the huge challenge
presented by the backlog, and make it possible for patients to
get the care and treatment they need.”
ENDS
The Clearing the backlog caused by the pandemic
inquiry will build on the work of the Committee’s earlier
inquiries, Delivering core health and
care services during the pandemic and beyond and Workforce burnout and
resilience in the NHS and social care. Some of the issues
will also be explored by the Committee’s on-going inquiry into
Cancer
services.
TERMS OF REFERENCE
The Committee invites written submissions addressing any, or all,
of the following points:
-
What is the anticipated size of the backlog and pent-up
demand from patients for differenthealthcare
services including, for example, elective surgery; mental
health services; cancer services; GP services; and more widely
across the healthcare system?
-
What capacity is available within the NHS to deal with
the current backlog? To what extent are the required resources
in place, including the right number of staff with the right
skills mix, to address the backlog?
-
How much financial investment will be needed to tackle
the backlog over the short, medium, and long-term; and how
should such investment be distributed? To what extent is the
financial investment received to date adequate to manage the
backlog?
-
How might the organisation and work of the NHS and care
services be reformed in order to effectively deal with the
backlog, in the short-term, medium-term, and
long-term?
-
What positive lessons can be learnt from how healthcare
services have been redesigned during the pandemic? How could
this support the future work of the NHS and care
services?
-
How effectively has the 111 call-first system for
A&E Departments been? What can be done to improve
this?
-
What can the Department of Health & Social Care,
national bodies and local systems do to facilitate innovation
as services evolve to meet emerging challenges?
-
To what extent is long-covid contributing to the
backlog of healthcare services? How can individuals suffering
from long-covid be better supported?
Evidence should be submitted here by close of play
Friday 3 September.
