Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

NHS Capacity and Resilience: Covid-19

Tuesday 18 January 2022 · 7 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 3 Partly answered 4 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministerial Department is taking measures to reduce demand and admissions through vaccine roll-out and new therapeutics.
  • Local flexibility exists to safely admit residents to care homes during outbreak restrictions based on a risk-based approach.
  • Discussions with NHS England to investigate setting up additional hospitals began last year prior to the peak of the current wave.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Craig Tracey Con
NHS
Context

The NHS is facing capacity and resilience challenges due to the ongoing pandemic.

Question

What steps his Department is taking to help maximise NHS capacity and increase its resilience during the covid-19 outbreak?

Answer from Edward Argar

Alongside measures to reduce demand and admissions, such as the vaccine roll-out and new therapeutics for covid, the NHS is creating maximum possible capacity and investing in improved discharge arrangements, use of independent sector beds, virtual wards and Nightingales to provide surge capacity. There is investment in delivering more than 20,000 additional clinical staff this year compared with August 2020.

Answered
Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Get updates like this by email
Q2 Craig Tracey Con
NHS Social Care
Context

Delays in transferring patients back to care homes due to outbreak restrictions can affect hospital capacity.

Question

As we move to treating covid as more of an endemic condition, what steps can be taken to stop restricting admissions to these care homes?

Answer from Edward Argar

There is local flexibility to allow residents to be safely admitted to a care home during outbreak restrictions, following a risk-based approach that takes into account the size of outbreaks, who is affected, care home size and layout, rates of booster vaccination and current Care Quality Commission rating.

Answered
Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Get updates like this by email
Q3 Martyn Day SNP
Immigration NHS
Context

The Migration Advisory Committee report advised amending migration policies to support the NHS.

Question

When will the UK Government start listening to their advisers and change migration policies to alleviate the pressures facing our NHS?

Answer from Edward Argar

We have already taken a number of steps to increase our workforce, including meeting targets for 50,000 more nurses and having over 20,000 more clinically qualified staff compared with August 2020.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Timeline or specific policy changes were not provided.

How: I Am Grateful To The Hon. Gentleman For His Question And For The Tone Of His Question.

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Get updates like this by email
Q4 Luke Hall Con
NHS
Context

There is a bid to rebuild and expand services at Thornbury Hospital.

Question

Will my hon. Friend meet me to discuss the next steps in delivering this vital infrastructure improvement in south Gloucestershire?

Answer from Edward Argar

I am always happy to meet him, and I have raised this subject on a number of occasions.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Meeting schedule was not committed to.

How: He Is A Doughty Champion For Thornbury

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Get updates like this by email
Q5 John Cryer Lab
NHS
Context

There are concerns about potential cuts in bed numbers during future hospital reconfigurations.

Question

Can the Minister assure the House that there will be no cuts in bed numbers in any future hospital reconfiguration?

Answer from Edward Argar

Decisions on hospital reconfigurations and changes to local hospital systems are a matter for the local NHS, following full consultation and consideration of the needs of local communities. The NHS as a whole will continue to look at what bed capacity is needed to meet future need.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific assurance was not given.

How: The Hon. Gentleman Is Right To Highlight The Importance Of Bed Capacity In The Nhs.

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Get updates like this by email
Q6 Gagan Mohindra Con South West Hertfordshire
NHS
Context

A constituent requested a tribute be paid to local hospital staff.

Question

Will the Minister join me in thanking the NHS for its tireless, backlog-clearing work?

Answer from Edward Argar

I am always happy to take the opportunity...to thank the amazing NHS workforce for the work they have done. I pay tribute to the work of the teams at Mount Vernon and Watford General.

Answered
Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Get updates like this by email
Q7 Meg Hillier Labour (Co-op) Hackney South and Shoreditch
NHS
Context

The Department announced that 150 hospitals would be on standby for additional resource.

Question

Can the Minister tell the House when he or his Secretary of State asked NHS England to investigate standing up the 150 hospitals?

Answer from Edward Argar

Those discussions began last year, prior to the peak of this wave. We believe that the use of the independent sector...to provide additional capacity is absolutely the right thing to do.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific date or timeline not provided.

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Get updates like this by email