Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 10
10
Acknowledged
We shared our concerns about the risks facing the NHS and its ability to deliver...
Conclusion
We shared our concerns about the risks facing the NHS and its ability to deliver the recovery targets and we pressed NHSE on how confident it was that it would meet the target to increase elective activity to 129% of 2019–20 levels by 2024–25.20 In some ways, this is the most important target because increasing activity is what will enable all the other targets to be met. We noted the importance of reaching higher levels of activity as soon as possible so as to begin reducing the backlog of people waiting for elective care. NHSE told us that it continued to aim for 129% in 2024–25 but that it recognised it would need to “re-profile” its trajectories for getting there.21
Government Response Summary
The Department and NHS England have stepped up actions to tackle the backlog and the ambitions in the Delivery Plan were agreed between NHS England and the government, based on detailed modelling and available funding at the time.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
2.2 The department and NHS England have stepped up actions to tackle the backlog since the publication of the Delivery Plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care. The ambitions in the delivery plan were agreed between NHS England and the government, based on detailed modelling and available funding at the time. The aim of setting stretching ambitions though to March 2025 was to ensure that patients, taxpayers and frontline staff had a shared and realistic expectation of progress towards recovering the backlog caused by the pandemic. The scope of the Delivery Plan’s targets reflected this aim.