Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2017 to Question 59987, what steps have been taken related to the provision of ambulance services as part of NHS planning arrangements for winter 2017-18 and operational resilience planning to ensure the health and social care system is adequately prepared to cope with winter pressures.

Every local system is undertaking detailed planning for winter to meet the significant pressures that they will face, both on the ambulance service and in other parts of the system. NHS England and NHS Improvement are working with all systems in a targeted way to ensure comprehensive plans are in place.