Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many ventilators are currently in store in preparation for the next pandemic or major national emergency.

The Department no longer holds a central ventilator stockpile. The Covid Strategic Intensive Care Unit Reserve closed on 1 March 2024, and all remaining holdings have now been disposed of. This closure was in light of significantly reduced demand from the National Health Service, and the ongoing costs of storing and maintaining ageing equipment. Over 83,000 pieces of equipment were issued to NHS trusts across the United Kingdom from the reserve, including over 16,000 ventilators. In the event of a pandemic of major national health emergency, the Department will make an assessment of ventilator requirements and the feasibility of any stockpiling options.

The Government actively monitors emerging threats to supply resilience and has established processes in place to manage disruption across the health and social care sector, working in partnership with industry and the wider health system to support robust planning and preparedness for these risks. The Department’s National Supply Disruption Response acts as the single point of contact for the medical supply industry, and for the UK’s health and care system, in the event of a supply issue that cannot be resolved via local contingency measures.