Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential for critical care infrastructure investment to enable whole-system reorganisation of urgent and emergency care.

Decisions on the future of local NHS services, including the provision of critical care service and urgent and emergency care, are the responsibility of local NHS organisations. These organisations are best placed to determine how services should operate to meet the needs of their local population, taking into account workforce, clinical standards and demand.

Capital funding for infrastructure investment is provided nationally and split between system operational capital and national capital programmes aligned to national priorities. Decisions on capital investment are taken by local systems, empowering the frontline to prioritise funding in line with local need and strategic priorities.