As the pandemic eases, our latest investigations look at how different services can start to recover from lost treatment time.

Katherine Hignett’s in-depth look at electives includes exclusive analysis and charts that identify the health systems most affected – those with the largest share of their population on the elective waiting list, and the share who have waited a very long time.

Ben Clover’s briefing on cancer services notes reversals of progress made in mortality from breast, colorectal and lung cancers, and NHS England’s admission that activity won’t return to pre-covid levels until April 2022. Ben also looks at where backlogs are the highest, and which patient groups have been hardest hit.

Focusing on mental health services in London, Jack Serle says that activity fell but so did capacity, with wards hived off to care for covid positive patients and staff shortages caused by redeployment or sickness. He explains how providers had to reorganise themselves to deal with the direct and indirect effects of covid, and how these new ways of working are being refined and maintained.

Soberingly, he notes a rising tide of mental health issues among children and young people.

Latest  briefings and investigations 

National briefing: Net zero trusts

This briefing explains how the NHS will take its first steps towards becoming carbon neutral. It will show how the NHS is structuring itself to meet this huge challenge, explore how NHS England is leading the national programme, and detail the priorities for organisations and integrated care systems during the next 12 to 18 months.

Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent ICS (Together We're Better)

Nearly half of Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent patients will be seen by acute providers based in neighbouring ICSs, primarily University Hospitals of Burton and Derby Foundation Trust and Royal Wolverhampton Trust. This means the ICS leaders must account for activity and capacity plans for trusts over which they have less control.

Imperial College Healthcare Trust

The trust’s plans for its estate have progressed through 2020. In August it submitted its strategic outline case for rebuilding St Mary’s in Paddington at the cost of £1bn to the NHS England London regional team and in November received feedback from government’s New Hospitals Programme team.

Data

This week the following data was updated:

• IAPT waiting time performance of MH in Q1 2021-22
• Main Location, Number Details, Telephone Number, Website Address, About the board, Email of Acute, Sp, Com, MH, Amb, CCG in Q1 2021-22
• NHS members(Summary info under map) of STP in Q1 2021-22
• Leadership of STP, CCG