Asked by: Neil Shastri-Hurst (Conservative - Solihull West and Shirley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to participate in a joint sprint review with the Ministry of Defence to assess the national health ecosystem’s capacity to meet the demands of major military operations.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Ensuring that the national health system is resilient and prepared to meet the demands of major military operations is of vital importance to deterrence and defence.
The Department of Health and Social Care will work closely with the Ministry of Defence to consider the recommendations of the Strategic Defence Review 2025 to ensure the national health system is resilient and prepared to meet the demands of any potential future conflict and to mitigate the wider impacts on staffing, care capacity, and service delivery.
Asked by: Neil Shastri-Hurst (Conservative - Solihull West and Shirley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has considered using capacity in the private healthcare sector to help reduce pressure on the NHS while maintaining clinical support for defence personnel.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England works closely with the Defence Medical Services to support operational medicine, and this includes considering clinical research and innovation and how this can be implemented to support the Armed Forces. A partnership agreement is in place between NHS England and the Ministry of Defence that sets out how the Ministry of Defence and NHS England will work together in the planning and organising of the delivery of healthcare and supporting policies.
No formal assessment has been made as to the potential merits of increased collaboration with the Defence Medical Services in the fields of medical research and development, specialist training, and in the development of deployable medical capability. The National Health Service and Defence Medical Services work closely together, with many medical personnel working within the NHS, including staff in specialist medical training.
NHS England commissions elective secondary healthcare services for the Armed Forces in England. This includes the routine use of the independent sector as part of the NHS approach to elective care reform.
Asked by: Neil Shastri-Hurst (Conservative - Solihull West and Shirley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) clinical research and (b) innovation developed using NHS funding is shared with Defence Medical Services to support operational medicine.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England works closely with the Defence Medical Services to support operational medicine, and this includes considering clinical research and innovation and how this can be implemented to support the Armed Forces. A partnership agreement is in place between NHS England and the Ministry of Defence that sets out how the Ministry of Defence and NHS England will work together in the planning and organising of the delivery of healthcare and supporting policies.
No formal assessment has been made as to the potential merits of increased collaboration with the Defence Medical Services in the fields of medical research and development, specialist training, and in the development of deployable medical capability. The National Health Service and Defence Medical Services work closely together, with many medical personnel working within the NHS, including staff in specialist medical training.
NHS England commissions elective secondary healthcare services for the Armed Forces in England. This includes the routine use of the independent sector as part of the NHS approach to elective care reform.
Asked by: Neil Shastri-Hurst (Conservative - Solihull West and Shirley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of increased collaboration with Defence Medical Services in (a) medical research and development, (b) specialist training, and (c) the development of deployable medical capability.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England works closely with the Defence Medical Services to support operational medicine, and this includes considering clinical research and innovation and how this can be implemented to support the Armed Forces. A partnership agreement is in place between NHS England and the Ministry of Defence that sets out how the Ministry of Defence and NHS England will work together in the planning and organising of the delivery of healthcare and supporting policies.
No formal assessment has been made as to the potential merits of increased collaboration with the Defence Medical Services in the fields of medical research and development, specialist training, and in the development of deployable medical capability. The National Health Service and Defence Medical Services work closely together, with many medical personnel working within the NHS, including staff in specialist medical training.
NHS England commissions elective secondary healthcare services for the Armed Forces in England. This includes the routine use of the independent sector as part of the NHS approach to elective care reform.
Asked by: Neil Shastri-Hurst (Conservative - Solihull West and Shirley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what role NHS England is playing in joint planning with the Ministry of Defence for scenarios involving (a) mass casualty care, (b) pandemic response and (c) strategic national emergencies.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department continues to work closely with the Ministry of Defence and the Defence Medical Services to ensure the health system is resilient and prepared to respond to a range of scenarios, including conflicts and mass casualty events.
The Department and the National Health Service have plans in place for the management of major incidents which would be drawn upon in the event of a potential conflict or mass casualty event, including those involving military personal. These plans are regularly reviewed to incorporate lessons from incidents, exercises, and ongoing conflicts.
Consideration has been given to the impacts on NHS staffing, capacity, and service provision, and the adaptions needed in the event of a conflict. Work is ongoing in line with NATO direction with the Ministry of Defence and the Defence Medical Services, to strengthen the resilience of the health system and support United Kingdom preparedness for the demands of any potential future warfighting scenario.
Asked by: Neil Shastri-Hurst (Conservative - Solihull West and Shirley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with NATO on (a) the implementation of the NATO Medical Action Plan and (b) its potential implications for UK civil-military health coordination.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England continue to engage with the Ministry of Defence and the Defence Medical Services on the NATO Medical Action Plan, to consider how best to implement the recommendations of the Medical Action Plan.
This work is part of wider efforts to strengthen the resilience of the health system and its preparedness for the demands of a warfighting or mass casualty scenario, and to increase civil-military coordination on health. This includes developing the mechanisms and plans required to mitigate wider impacts on staffing, care capacity, and service provision caused by a potential future warfighting or mass casualty scenario, in line with directives from the Ministry of Defence and NATO.
Asked by: Neil Shastri-Hurst (Conservative - Solihull West and Shirley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that NHS capacity constraints do not undermine the UK’s ability to sustain armed forces medical readiness in times of conflict.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department continues to work closely with the Ministry of Defence and the Defence Medical Services to ensure the health system is resilient and prepared to respond to a range of scenarios, including conflicts and mass casualty events.
The Department and the National Health Service have plans in place for the management of major incidents which would be drawn upon in the event of a potential conflict or mass casualty event, including those involving military personal. These plans are regularly reviewed to incorporate lessons from incidents, exercises, and ongoing conflicts.
Consideration has been given to the impacts on NHS staffing, capacity, and service provision, and the adaptions needed in the event of a conflict. Work is ongoing in line with NATO direction with the Ministry of Defence and the Defence Medical Services, to strengthen the resilience of the health system and support United Kingdom preparedness for the demands of any potential future warfighting scenario.
Asked by: Neil Shastri-Hurst (Conservative - Solihull West and Shirley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has developed a contingency framework to ensure NHS hospitals and clinical staff can respond to a surge in military casualties alongside civilian demand.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department continues to work closely with the Ministry of Defence and the Defence Medical Services to ensure the health system is resilient and prepared to respond to a range of scenarios, including conflicts and mass casualty events.
The Department and the National Health Service have plans in place for the management of major incidents which would be drawn upon in the event of a potential conflict or mass casualty event, including those involving military personal. These plans are regularly reviewed to incorporate lessons from incidents, exercises, and ongoing conflicts.
Consideration has been given to the impacts on NHS staffing, capacity, and service provision, and the adaptions needed in the event of a conflict. Work is ongoing in line with NATO direction with the Ministry of Defence and the Defence Medical Services, to strengthen the resilience of the health system and support United Kingdom preparedness for the demands of any potential future warfighting scenario.
Asked by: Neil Shastri-Hurst (Conservative - Solihull West and Shirley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the National Health Service’s readiness to support the Defence Medical Services in the event of a large-scale military conflict or mass casualty event.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department continues to work closely with the Ministry of Defence and the Defence Medical Services to ensure the health system is resilient and prepared to respond to a range of scenarios, including conflicts and mass casualty events.
The Department and the National Health Service have plans in place for the management of major incidents which would be drawn upon in the event of a potential conflict or mass casualty event, including those involving military personal. These plans are regularly reviewed to incorporate lessons from incidents, exercises, and ongoing conflicts.
Consideration has been given to the impacts on NHS staffing, capacity, and service provision, and the adaptions needed in the event of a conflict. Work is ongoing in line with NATO direction with the Ministry of Defence and the Defence Medical Services, to strengthen the resilience of the health system and support United Kingdom preparedness for the demands of any potential future warfighting scenario.
Asked by: Neil Shastri-Hurst (Conservative - Solihull West and Shirley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has considered the creation of an independent review board similar to the US Defense Health Board to oversee the joint medical readiness of the (a) NHS, (b) Defence Medical Services and (c) private healthcare in the UK.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are currently no plans to create an independent review board to oversee joint medical readiness in the United Kingdom.
The Ministry of Defence and the Department of Health and Social Care’s Partnership Board facilitate joint working across the UK to address issues relating to the health of, and healthcare for, Armed Forces personnel and veterans. The Partnership Board meets three times a year, to ensure that departments and stakeholders meet the requirements of the Armed Forces Covenant and to improve the health and healthcare of the UK Armed Forces before, during, and after deployment, and of their families.
With oversight from the Partnership Board, the Department of Health and Social Care will work closely with the Ministry of Defence to consider the recommendations of The Strategic Defence Review 2025, to ensure that the National Health Service is resilient and prepared to meet the demands of any potential future conflict.