Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of how many NHS health care assistants could be paid for using the funding from the covid surge deal, announced on 10 January 2022.

The arrangements between NHS England and independent sector providers are not expected to result in significant additional spending above normal Quarter 4 levels and can be funded from existing budgets. Therefore, there is no effect on Barnett consequentials. As there is no new funding for these short-term, 12-week contracts, this could not pay for additional healthcare professionals. The arrangements allow for the continuing delivery of elective care for National Health Service patients in England and the provision of ‘surge’ capacity to assist NHS hospitals in England with the impact of the Omicron variant, where required. Local NHS systems, in coordination with regional and national teams, will be responsible for these arrangements to effectively meet local needs. Due to this flexibility, we are unable to estimate how many people will be treated through these arrangements.