Urgent and Emergency Care Recovery Plan Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department of Health and Social Care
Andrew Bridgen
Main Page: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)Department Debates - View all Andrew Bridgen's debates with the Department of Health and Social Care
Urgent and Emergency Care Recovery Plan
Andrew Bridgen Excerpts(1 year, 11 months ago)
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Andrew Bridgen (North West Leicestershire) (Ind)
The Secretary of State told the House that the NHS was put under pressure with a spike in influenza cases in December. Will he say where he thinks that influenza virus has been hiding for two and a half years?
Steve Barclay
I do not think it has been hiding. Flu seasons are not uncommon in the NHS and come round on a periodic basis, and that is why we anticipated it through the flu vaccine. On the hon. Gentleman’s wider point, it is also recognised that as a consequence of covid some resistance to flu may have been lowered, but we have had flu pressures on the NHS in past years.