Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what accountability mechanisms ensure NHS trusts meet mandatory resilience benchmarks.

National Health Service trusts and other providers of NHS-funded services are required to maintain emergency preparedness, resilience and response (EPRR) arrangements in line with relevant statutory and contractual requirements. The NHS core standards for EPRR guidance provides the common framework against which organisations assess their preparedness.

Providers and commissioners complete an annual self-assessment against the core standards. Organisations are required to report their EPRR readiness and preparedness to their board or governing body, including the outcome of the latest annual assurance process. Integrated care boards lead local assurance of commissioned providers, supported by NHS England regionally, with the national process providing assurance to the NHS England Board and informing the report submitted to the Department and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.