Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to take steps to enable Integrated Care Boards to draw on surge capacity from auxiliary organisations such as St John Ambulance to help support NHS emergency preparedness.

The independent investigation into National Health Service performance, published on 12 September, is helping to inform a 10-Year Health Plan to reform the NHS and build a health service that is more resilient and fit for the future.

It is for local integrated care boards, in partnership with providers and stakeholders, to take decisions on how NHS services, including those delivered by the voluntary and charitable sectors, can best meet the needs of their local populations, and help improve patient outcomes.