Call for Evidence

The Committee invites written submissions addressing any or all of the following points: 

Evidence should be submitted by Friday 3 September.

• 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?