Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to reduce winter deaths.

Public Health England (PHE), working with the Department and NHS England, oversees the national flu immunisation programme, conducts flu surveillance and publishes an annual Flu Plan. PHE also publishes the Cold Weather Plan for England, in collaboration with the Department, NHS England and the Local Government Association, which aims to avoid preventable illness and deaths in winter. In addition, PHE runs the ‘Stay Well This Winter’ campaign in partnership with NHS England, encouraging people most at-risk of preventable emergency hospital admission to take actions helping them stay well.

We know the National Health Service is facing increased pressure this winter and that is why we planned earlier this year than ever before. The NHS has robust plans in place to cope with winter supported by additional capital and revenue funding for the NHS of £435 million and funding of an additional £1 billion for the social care system this year to be spent on meeting adult social care needs, supporting the social care market and reducing pressure on the NHS this year.

The NHS is committed to ensuring all patients continue to receive high quality, safe and efficient care as demand over winter increases.