Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 31 May 2023 to Question 186059 on Protective Clothing, whether his Department has considered the potential merits of conducting a cost-benefit analysis of the recommendation.

The Department relies on a wide range of evidence and research, which may include cost-benefit analyses, when making recommendations about protective clothing and patient health. Healthcare providers in all healthcare settings across England use the National Infection Prevention and Control Manual, which was published by NHS England in April 2022. This is complemented by pathogen/disease specific guidance from the UK Health Security Agency.

NHS England has not conducted a cost-benefit analysis specifically for the guidance on protective clothing, nor do they have plans to do so. The focus of this guidance is on patients and their choice to wear their own masks within clinical settings.