Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support hospitals to manage new covid-19 variants.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) monitors cases of COVID-19 to identify any variants of concern which might cause significant morbidity and therefore result in additional pressures on the National Health Service, including hospitals.

As a precautionary measure given the emergence of the BA.2.86 variant, the current autumn booster campaign has been brought forward to start from 11 September 2023. While BA.2.86 is not currently classified as a variant of concern, UKHSA advised that speeding up the autumn vaccine programme will deliver greater protection, supporting those at greatest risk of severe illness and reducing the potential impact on the NHS.

In addition, our recovery plan for urgent and emergency care, backed by £1 billion of dedicated funding, sets out measures to increase patient flow in hospital and reduce bed occupancy. This includes increasing capacity, adding 5,000 additional beds to the permanent bed base ahead of this coming winter.