Covid-19 Update

Tony Lloyd Excerpts

Tuesday 9th November 2021 Commons Chamber

[Sajid Javid]

I thank my right hon. Friend for his support for today’s announcement. I know that he speaks with huge experience, that he has rightly focused for years on the importance of patient safety, and that he will also welcome this as a patient-safety measure. On his particular question around flu, we did consider that carefully. As he knows, we did consult on it. We looked at the response to the consultation and, after consideration, we were not convinced that we should go ahead with flu at this stage, but the option remains open.

[Tony Lloyd (Rochdale) (Lab)]

I am guardedly sympathetic to the direction of travel in which the Secretary of State is going, but this obviously could lead to specific skills shortages in different parts of the health service. Can he give us a guarantee that this will be monitored at a granular level, so that each hon. Member can be certain that we do not find out that our own hospitals have developed those skills shortages in vital services?

[Sajid Javid]

The hon. Gentleman is right to raise that point. It was a concern in making the decision, and I have set out how I have taken that into account. However, I assure him that the issue will be monitored on a day-by-day basis by our colleagues in NHS England and of course the Department itself, and that whatever workforce planning is necessary will be done.