Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken since March 2021, other than rolling out vaccinations, to ensure that the UK healthcare system is better prepared for (1) a further surge of COVID-19, and (2) a new pandemic, than it was in March 2020 and January 2021.

The National Health Service winter resilience plans will increase capacity for winter 2022/23, with the equivalent of at least 7,000 general and acute beds, including the use of innovative virtual wards to treat patients safely at home.

To prepare for future pandemics, updated planning scenarios have been developed that reflect the impact of a broader range of pathogens with pandemic potential. These scenarios are being used to inform the requirements for robust, flexible and deployable capabilities which can be adapted to outbreaks of different scales and characteristics.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) became fully operational on 1 October 2021 and includes the new Centre for Pandemic Preparedness. Working with the Department and NHS England, the UKHSA will ensure that measures are in place to protect against all future health threats, including pandemics, through the enhanced capabilities deployed to address COVID-19 and other infectious disease outbreaks.