PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Mental Health Services: Energy (21 October 2022)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for community mental health services of the National Grid's announcement of 6 October 2022 that the UK may experience power cuts lasting three hours per day during winter 2022; and whether her Department is taking steps to help community mental health services prepare.

Asked by:
Dr Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour)

The Department works with NHS England to plan for scenarios which could pose a risk to health and care services, including the risk of disruption to power supplies. All service providers’ business continuity plans seek to ensure that critical services, such as mental health services, can continue to be delivered to patients in all settings with minimal disruption. The National Health Service is working with the Department on planning for winter 2022/23 and to ensure organisations’ plans reflect current risks to operational delivery.

We also work with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the National Grid to understand any risks to power supply.

Answered by:
Maria Caulfield (Conservative)
2 November 2022