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 potential impact of (a) nurse and (b) rail strikes on patients requiring life-saving treatment.

NHS England is working with providers, professional bodies, trade unions and other bodies to agree the safe level of staffing during any industrial action. The National Health Service will ensure emergency care is prioritised and these services will be available. The Royal College of Nursing has announced that critical care units, such as intensive care and high dependency, are exempt from strikes.

The Department for Transport is in regular contact with other departments, including the Department of Health and Social Care and industry, to mitigate impact of rail strike action on essential services.