Mr. Martin Varley:

There are important issues to be assessed in the context of what capacity we will need to provide for a potential second wave or a surge. We also need to allow for the fact that the patients who have not been in a position to get follow-on care from their private hospital consultants are actually catered for. There is the wider issue of waiting lists in general.

The primary lesson I have learned from this particular exercise is that we need engagement on a tripartite basis. We need engagement with health service management, the private hospital associations and the private practice consultants. It is difficult actually to design the most effective way to do something if one does not engage with all three in a round-table setting. That was the big failure. Looking back on it, we can see why and the rush that did not happen. However, as we go forward, it is hugely important that there is tripartite engagement to optimise the use of our capacity in our public and in our private hospitals.