Oral Question·Department of Health and Social Care
“What assessment he has made of trends in the level of unreported removals from waiting lists.”
Tabled: 3 June 2026Answered: 9 June 2026
Asked by
Graham Stuart
Conservative — Beverley and Holderness
Answering Minister
the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Answer from Hansard
The Minister for Secondary Care (Karin Smyth)
Over 85% of waiting list removals are made as a result of patient care, and since the end of the pandemic, unreported removals have been below pre-pandemic levels. Record levels of elective activity are being delivered by NHS staff, enabling us to cut waiting lists and meet our interim target of 65% of patients being seen within 18 weeks—the highest performance in over four years.