Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the UK Resilience Academy's Exercising Best Practice Guidance, whether external expert observers and evaluators have been involved in Exercise Pegasus; and what steps he is taking to incorporate independent assessments by expert observers and evaluators into the UK's pandemic preparedness plans.

Trained observers and evaluators participated throughout Exercise PEGASUS, the largest simulation of a pandemic in United Kingdom history. These observers and evaluators provided an external view on the decisions and actions taken by participants, supported by other evaluation methods, including focus groups to ‘red team’ or challenge participant decisions, surveys, and structured ‘debriefs’ with participants themselves.

The Department aims to have flexible, adaptable, and scalable capabilities that can respond to any infectious disease or other threat, along all routes of transmission rather than relying on plans for specific threats.

Our health and care sector plans and our overall pandemic preparedness approach will continue to evolve in response to new scientific and clinical advice, as well as lessons learned, including learning from the UK COVID-19 Inquiry and Exercise PEGASUS. Exercise PEGASUS used a variety of mechanisms to provide challenges to current arrangements for pandemic response. Exercise PEGASUS has provided valuable experience which is being used to inform the pandemic preparedness strategy and response plans.