Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further (1) to reports of overcrowding in accident and emergency departments, and (2) to the COVID-19 pandemic, what action they are taking with NHS England (a) to increase the availability of acute hospital beds for those patients needing admission, and (b) to decrease overcrowding in such departments.

£150 million capital funding has just been awarded to expand and upgrade 25 more accident and emergency departments (A&Es), to reduce overcrowding and improve infection control ahead of winter. This is on top of the £300 million we announced recently, to upgrade A&Es across 117 trusts, bringing total funding to £450 million. This funding will expand waiting areas and increase the number of treatment cubicles, helping boost A&E capacity by providing additional space and reducing overcrowding.

In addition to this, the Prime Minister has announced £3 billion of extra National Health Service funding, which includes plans to maintain the use of the Nightingale hospitals, continue access to independent hospitals capacity and improve hospital discharge arrangements.

Plans are also in place for a significantly expanded influenza vaccination programme and the introduction of the NHS 111 First model which both should help prevent visits to A&E. Overall, these measures will help increase capacity in the NHS and prevent overcrowding.