Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will make assessment of the potential merits of ensuring that health and social care settings have (a) visible CO2 monitors with a regulated maximum CO2 level of 800ppm, (b) ventilation and air filtration systems and (c) an open-access online monitoring systems with a RAG score.

There are no plans to make an assessment on the merits of ensuring that health and social care settings have (a) visible CO2 monitors with a regulated max CO2 level of 800ppm, (b) ventilation and air filtration systems and (c) an open-access online monitoring systems with a RAG score.

Guidance on ventilation and air filtration systems in NHS facilities is provided in Health Technical Memorandum (HTM) 03-01: Specialised Ventilation for Healthcare Premises. As with all guidance provided on the NHS estate, it is reviewed on an ongoing basis and will be updated to reflect changes in approach to relevant areas.

In terms of social care settings, Part F of the Building Regulations set minimum ventilation standards for new buildings, or when work is done to an existing building, which requires that buildings should be provided with an adequate means of ventilation. The associated guidance for non-domestic buildings states that rooms in new buildings where aerosol generating activities take place, or where members of the public are likely to gather, should have indoor air quality monitoring installed, such as CO2 monitors.