PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Intensive Care: Coronavirus (28 April 2020)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on ensuring that there is adequate critical care capacity in hospitals during the covid-19 outbreak.

Asked by:
Sir John Hayes (Conservative)

The Chancellor has been clear that the National Health Service will get whatever funding it needs to provide the best possible care for those who need it throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. This has included more than £6 billion in funding to bolster the resilience and capacity of our health services in recent weeks.

On 17 March it was announced that non-urgent elective operations were to be postponed to free up approximately 30,000 hospital beds nationally as a key part of the COVID-19 response. This measure was implemented to free-up the maximum possible critical care capacity to allow staff to prepare for, and respond to, the anticipated large numbers of COVID-19 patients needing respiratory support. It was stressed that emergency admissions, cancer treatment and other clinically urgent care continue unaffected. 8,000 beds were also placed at the NHS’s disposal following an unprecedented deal with the independent sector.

Further to this, we have been greatly strengthened by over 10,000 returning health professionals; 27,000 student nurses, doctors and other health professionals starting their NHS careers early; and 607,000 NHS volunteers.

Answered by:
Edward Argar (Conservative)
11 May 2020