Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 12 May to Question 38420, what lessons resulted from Exercise Cygnus in relation to the importance of (a) personal protective equipment and (b) availability of intensive care beds in preparation for infectious disease outbreaks; whether those lessons were applied; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The lessons identified from Exercise Cygnus continue to be considered by the Government and a range of stakeholders, including expert advisory groups and local emergency planners.
Working across Government and with stakeholders, the lessons from Exercise Cygnus and advice received since have informed our preparedness. Since Exercise Cygnus, health sector plans to surge and flex National Health Service systems and resources (including critical care) beyond normal operations have been strengthened and stockpiles of personal protective equipment specifically for an influenza pandemic have been kept under review.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 12 May 2020 to Question 38420 on Exercise Cygnus, which reports on exercises his Department has published in each of the last four years; and what criteria were applied in each such case to justify publication.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department does not routinely publish reports on exercises.
Asked by: Baroness Thornton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the plans developed by NHS England to improve pandemic response planning as a result of Exercise Cygnus.
Answered by Lord Bethell
NHS England is a key partner in the ongoing cross-Government work to develop the United Kingdom’s pandemic preparedness. This Department continues to work across Government and with key stakeholders, including NHS England, to develop coordinated multi-sector response plans for a future influenza pandemic.
The lessons from Exercise Cygnus, along with expert scientific, clinical and operational advice, have informed the UK’s preparedness to ensure that the country remains well prepared for infectious disease outbreaks. This includes work such as development of draft legislation support to the health system response to a future influenza pandemic and strengthening plans to surge and flex beyond normal operations, as demonstrated by the considerable increase in critical care capacity as part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of Exercise Cygnus, carried out in October 2016, into the resilience of the NHS to deal with an influenza pandemic.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Working across Government and with stakeholders, the lessons identified from Exercise Cygnus have informed our preparedness, such as development of draft legislation support to the response to a future influenza pandemic and, strengthening health sector plans to surge and flex beyond normal operations. Learning the lessons from preparedness exercises, as well as other sources of expertise has ensured that the United Kingdom remains well prepared for infectious disease outbreaks.
The lessons learned from Exercise Cygnus continue to be considered by the Government and a range of stakeholders, including expert advisory groups and local emergency planners in reviewing response plans.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps were taken in response to the results of Exercise Cygnus, carried out in October 2016, to build capacity in the NHS in relation to the provision of additional (1) nurses, (2) doctors, (3) critical care beds, (4) morgue equipment, and (5) personal protection equipment.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The lessons identified from Exercise Cygnus continue to be considered by the Government and a range of stakeholders, including expert advisory groups and local emergency planners.
Working across Government and with stakeholders, the lessons from Exercise Cygnus have informed our preparedness, including strengthening health sector plans to surge and flex systems and resources beyond normal operations, and stockpiling personal protective equipment specifically for a pandemic influenza, informed by expert advice.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to publish the findings of Exercise Cygnus.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department does not routinely publish reports on exercises.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on what date his Department most recently undertook a rehearsal exercise for a pandemic; what outcomes his Department identified from that exercise; and how many of those outcomes were not reversed and were not implemented.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The most recent National Level (Tier 1) exercise to test preparedness for a pandemic was Exercise Cygnus. Exercise Cygnus assessed the United Kingdom’s preparedness and response to a pandemic influenza and took place in October 2016.
Exercises at both the national and local level form an essential element of the Government’s pandemic influenza preparedness programme. In addition to National Level (Tier 1) exercises, smaller scale exercises to test response plans for infectious disease outbreaks have been undertaken. The Government also supports organisations at the local level to develop and exercise their pandemic plans.
In February 2020 an exercise was held to rehearse Ministerial-level decision-making for the UK’s pandemic preparedness and response within the context of what was known at that point about the COVID-19 outbreak.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he first became aware of the findings of Exercise Cygnus carried out in 2016; and what steps he has taken to implement the recommendations arising from that exercise.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Pandemic Influenza is identified as the most significant natural hazard risk on the Government’s National Risk Register of Civil Emergencies. The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care was informed of this and the work underway to develop, and manage, United Kingdom pandemic influenza preparedness following Exercise Cygnus upon assuming office in 2018.
Working across Government and with stakeholders, the lessons from Exercise Cygnus have informed our preparedness, such as development of draft legislation support to the response to a future influenza pandemic and strengthening health sector plans to surge and flex beyond normal operations.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish (a) the findings of Exercise Cygnus 2016 and (b) information on which recommendations have been implemented.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department does not routinely publish reports on exercises. This is to allow Ministers, officials and emergency planners to develop policies and plans while ensuring that the full, candid and proper deliberation of lessons identified is not influenced or impacted by the possibility of public exposure.
Working across Government and with stakeholders, the lessons from Exercise Cygnus have informed our preparedness, such as development of draft legislation support to the response to a future influenza pandemic, and strengthening health sector plans to to surge and flex beyond normal operations. Learning the lessons from preparedness exercises, as well as other sources of expertise has ensured that the United Kingdom remains well prepared for infectious disease outbreaks.
Asked by: Clive Efford (Labour - Eltham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will (a) list the recommendations made by Exercise Cygnus in 2016, (b) set out those recommendations that have been implemented by the Government and (c) provide the reasons for not implementing those remaining recommendations.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department does not routinely publish reports on exercises.