Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 24 January (HL1768), how much money has been raised to date from the auction of equipment listed in that answer.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The COVID Strategic ICU Reserve was set up in April 2020, in response to shortages in key respiratory equipment and in anticipation of increased demand during the pandemic. Over the last two years, the National Health Service has not needed to access the reserve to manage increases in the numbers of respiratory patients. With lack of demand from the NHS, and increasing costs associated with storing and maintaining ageing equipment, the decision was taken to close the reserve by March 2024.
Information on the money raised from the auction of equipment is not currently available. The following table shows the planned disposal routes for equipment within the COVID Strategic Intensive Care Unit Reserve from 1 December 2023 to 31 March 2024:
| Holdings at December 2023 | Offered or offering for sale | Have been destroyed | Scheduled for destruction | Donated to medical charities for use overseas |
Enteral feed pumps | 1140 | 1025 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
Humidifiers | 4714 | 1456 | 0 | 3258 | 0 |
Mechanical ventilator - Anaesthetic | 53 | 17 | 0 | 36 | 0 |
Mechanical ventilator - Emergency | 5093 | 1140 | 3159 | 792 | 0 |
Mechanical ventilator - ICU | 3083 | 3075 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Mechanical ventilator - Transport | 949 | 148 | 0 | 789 | 0 |
Non-invasive Ventilator (NIV) bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPaP) | 3339 | 3085 | 0 | 252 | 0 |
NIV continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) | 6682 | 0 | 702 | 5980 | 0 |
NIV high flow nasal oxygen (HFNO) | 187 | 155 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Oxygen concentrators | 2874 | 2861 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
Oxygen regulators | 1564 | 1461 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Patient monitors | 2439 | 2353 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Suction pumps | 307 | 289 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Syringe drivers | 21319 | 8000 | 9318 | 3976 | 0 |
Volumetric pumps | 1588 | 1563 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Notes:
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government further to the Written Answers by Lord Markham on 4 January (HL1377) and 24 January (HL1768), under a realistic worst case scenario for Risk 54 (an unmitigated respiratory pandemic) in which 1.34 million people require hospital treatment, how many (1) additional mechanical ventilators, (2) non-invasive ventilators (BiPaP), and (3) NIV continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) units, would be required in addition to those currently held by hospital intensive care units; and what would be the estimated cost, at current prices, of replacing the equipment held in the COVID Strategic Care Unit Reserve.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department continues to plan and prepare for a range of pandemic and emerging infectious disease scenarios, including those caused by respiratory contact and vector-borne pathogens, both influenza and non-influenza related. These plans are built on lessons learned from exercises and incidents, including the COVID-19 pandemic.
NHS England routinely monitor the total number of ventilators available against the number of ventilators in use. NHS England published Adult critical care surge plan guidance in December 2023 which sets out the actions to ensure capacity is mobilised at a sufficient rate to meet increases in demand. In response to any pandemic, NHS England would implement the published surge planning guidance to review capacity and demand within the current context of the situation. A copy of this guidance is attached.
The Department’s COVID Strategic Intensive Care Unit Reserve was established to operate for a set lifespan in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, after which point it would close. Due to lower-than-expected demand for equipment from the stockpile by the National Health Service, the strategic pandemic intensive care unit reserve is now closing in March 2024 and there are no current plans to replace it. No estimate has been made of the cost of replacing it.
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government further to the Written Answers on 24 January by Lord Markham (HL1769 and HL1770), how much the Department of Health and Social Care pays per pallet per week for equipment stored by NHS Supply Chain; whether the Department currently makes payments for storage to NHS Supply Chain other than, and in addition to, payments for the COVID Strategic Care Unit Reserve; and, if so, how many pallets were on average being paid for, per week, in 2023, over and above those storing the COVID Strategic Care Unit Reserve.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are unable to provide the information requested as it is commercially sensitive.
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much warehouse space was required to house (1) the total contents of the COVID Strategic Intensive Care Unit Reserve on 31 December 2023, and (2) the ventilators that make up part of that reserve.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The warehousing of the COVID Strategic Intensive Care Unit Reserve is managed by NHS Supply Chain on behalf of the Department. The requirement is based on number of pallets. On 31 December 2023, the reserve totalled 29,844 pallets, of which 3,317 related to ventilators.
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what were the contents of the COVID Strategic Intensive Care Unit Reserve on 31 December 2023.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The following table shows the contents of the COVID Strategic Intensive Care Unit Reserve as of the first week of December 2023, the latest period for which data is available:
Equipment | December 2023 |
Enteral feed pumps | 1140 |
Humidifiers | 4714 |
Mechanical ventilator - Anaesthetic | 53 |
Mechanical ventilator - Emergency | 5093 |
Mechanical ventilator - ICU | 3083 |
Mechanical ventilator - Transport | 949 |
Non-invasive Ventilator (NIV) bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPaP) | 3339 |
NIV continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) | 6682 |
NIV high flow nasal oxygen (HFNO) | 187 |
Oxygen concentrators | 2874 |
Oxygen regulators | 1564 |
Patient monitors | 2439 |
Suction pumps | 307 |
Syringe drivers | 21319 |
Volumetric pumps | 1588 |
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government when the Government lease expires on the warehouse space currently used to house the COVID Strategic Intensive Care Unit Reserve.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The warehousing of the COVID Strategic Intensive Care Unit Reserve is managed by NHS Supply Chain on behalf of the Department.
There is no dedicated warehouse space allocated to the reserve. It is stored across multiple sites, in and amongst NHS Supply Chain’s wider holdings, making the best use of the capacity available. The Department pays for this storage on a ‘per pallet, per week’ basis, resulting in zero costs once all holdings have been disposed of following closure of the reserve.
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 15 December 2023 (HL453), why they have decided to abolish the COVID Strategic Intensive Care Unit Reserve in March 2024 when they have not yet completed their preparation for a range of pandemic and emerging infectious disease scenarios.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The COVID Strategic Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Reserve was set up in April 2020, in response to shortages in key respiratory equipment and in anticipation of increased demand during the pandemic. Over the last two years, the National Health Service has not needed to access the reserve to manage increases in the numbers of respiratory patients. With lack of demand from the NHS, and increasing costs associated with storing and maintaining ageing equipment, the decision was taken to close the reserve by March 2024. Until then, the reserve will continue provide a reserve capable of supporting 1,000 ICU beds.
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many apprenticeship starts at level 6 were for legal, finance and accounting in 2021–22 and 2022–23; how many of these apprentices were employed in levy-paying organisations; and how many there were in each region.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Level 6 Apprenticeship starts in the legal, finance and accounting route in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 academic years are shown in the tables below, along with breakdowns by region, and where starts were supported by apprenticeship service account levy funds.
Level 6 Apprenticeship starts in the legal, finance and accounting route:
2021/22 | 2022/23 |
960 | 900 |
Of which supported by Apprenticeship service account levy funds:
2021/22 | 2022/23 |
890 | 850 |
Of which by region:
Region | 2021/22 | 2022/23 |
East Midlands | 30 | 50 |
East of England | 140 | 130 |
London | 270 | 300 |
North East | 30 | 10 |
North West | 90 | 90 |
South East | 130 | 120 |
South West | 90 | 50 |
West Midlands | 80 | 70 |
Yorkshire and The Humber | 70 | 50 |
Outside of England and unknown | 40 | 30 |
Notes for tables:
(1) Volumes are rounded to the nearest 10.
(2) Data source is the individualised Learner Record.
(3) Geography is based upon the home postcode of the learner. Where the postcode is outside of England or not known it is included in the 'Outside of England and unknown' category.
(4) Geographies are taken from the National Statistics Postcode Lookup.
(5) Please see the 'Further education and skills statistics: methodology' document for more information about how 'supported by Apprenticeship service account levy funds' is derived.
(6) Route information is based on the latest information held on the IfATE 'Search the apprenticeships' page at the point of publication.
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Barran on 12 December 2023 (HL688), how many apprenticeship completions were recorded on the Senior Leadership route in 2022–23.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department publishes apprenticeship achievements (where all parts of the apprenticeship are successfully completed) rather than apprenticeship completions. In the 2022/23 academic year there were 4,020 achievements on the Senior Leader (ST0480) apprenticeship standard.
The department also publishes achievement and retention rates for individual apprenticeship standards within the National Achievement Rate tables. The latest figures cover the 2021/22 academic year. For leavers on the Senior Leader (ST0480) apprenticeship standard that left their apprenticeship the 2021/22 academic year, the retention rate was 56.8% (the proportion getting to the end of their apprenticeship, regardless of whether they subsequently passed their apprenticeship), whilst the achievement rate was 56.2% (the proportion getting to the end of their apprenticeship and subsequently passing). The table is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/6fe2fb17-4a75-4af4-b7cb-08dbfa51496d.