The challenge of
meeting demands for life-saving health and care services during
and beyond the coronavirus pandemic is the focus of the
new
inquiry.
Over the coming weeks
MPs will consider the balance of prioritising coronavirus care
against ongoing demands for essential health services such as
cancer diagnosis and treatment.
The inquiry will also
consider what support the NHS and care sectors will require from
Government to meet the anticipated pent-up demand for services
beyond the pandemic’s peak.
Strategic challenges
identified for NHS managers include how to meet extra demands for
mental health services as a resulting from the lockdown, dealing
with complex medical needs of patients rapidly discharged from
hospital and the provision of healthcare to vulnerable groups who
are shielding.
Health and
Social Care Committee Chair Rt Hon MP said:
“The capacity of
the NHS is being severely tested in meeting the urgent health
care needs of patients with coronavirus and dealing with those
with other life-threatening conditions.
“Unless we get
this balance right, the lives of people at risk of delays for
medical treatment could be lost needlessly.
“The aftermath of
the pandemic will present another test for the NHS and the social
care sector with people depending on these services for support.
Our inquiry will examine the scale of the challenge and consider
what must happen now if our future health is to be
safeguarded.”
ENDS
The first evidence
session of Delivering core NHS and care services during the
pandemic and beyond will take place at 09.30, Friday
1 May with a focus on three areas:
· cancer services
· maternity services
·
mental health services,
including dementia.
Witnesses will be
confirmed in due course.
The Health and Social
Care Committee is also continuing its work focused on the
Government’s response to the coronavirus in the inquiry,
Management of the Coronavirus
Outbreak.
TERMS OF
REFERENCE:
The Committee is
seeking evidence and would welcome written submissions that
address the following areas covered by the inquiry, including but
not limited to:
· How to achieve an appropriate
balance between coronavirus and ‘ordinary’ health and care
demand
· Meeting the wave of pent-up
demand for health and care services that have been delayed due to
the coronavirus outbreak
· Meeting extra demand for
mental health services as a result of the societal and economic
impacts of lockdown
· Meeting the needs of rapidly
discharged hospital patients with a higher level of
complexity
· Providing healthcare to
vulnerable groups who are shielding
· Supporting mass testing and
vaccination once they become available.
· How to ensure that positive
changes that have taken place in health and social care as a
result of the pandemic are not lost as services
normalise.
Stakeholders’ views and
reflections on the initial areas of focus: cancer services;
maternity services and mental health services, including
suggestions of key questions that should be considered, should be
submitted via the portal
by
5pm on Monday 27th
April.
The deadline for more
substantive submissions, covering any aspect of health and social
care, not limited to cancer, maternity and mental
health services of written evidence is 5pm on Friday
8th
May.
