Written question WQ85283
- Asked by
- Altaf HussainConservative
- To be answered by
- Minister for Health and Social Services
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 6 days
Question
What is the Welsh Government's target timeline for returning elective orthopaedic activity to 100 per cent of pre-pandemic levels?
Answer
Answered by Minister for Health and Social Services
Tackling the backlog of patients that has built up during the pandemic is a key priority for this Government. I published our recovery plan at the end of April, backed by a recurrent allocation of £170m and I have made clear to health boards my expectations around delivery. This includes seeing an increase in activity to pre-pandemic levels. During March, inpatient and daycase activity for all specialities was at 80% of the pre-pandemic levels, whilst for outpatients, it was already higher than pre-pandemic levels.
I expect to see further increases in activity levels as the number of Covid-related patients in hospital continues to reduce.
The National Orthopaedic Board recently commissioned the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) team to carry out a review of orthopaedic services across Wales. The orthopaedic board is in the process of completing a blueprint for the future of orthopaedic services. This complements the GIRFT work and together they will set out how health boards should approach orthopaedic delivery.