Coronavirus

(asked on 10th February 2020) - View Source

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 NHS preparedness for an outbreak of the coronavirus in the UK.


Answered by
Jo Churchill Portrait
Jo Churchill
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This question was answered on 18th February 2020

The United Kingdom is extremely well prepared for these types of outbreaks – we are one of the first countries in the world to develop a test for the new virus. The National Health Service is always ready to provide world class care to patients whether they have a common illness, or an infectious disease never seen here before.

The NHS has expert teams in every ambulance service and a number of specialist hospital units with highly trained staff and equipment ready to receive and care for patients with any highly infectious disease. Since April 2013, NHS England has commissioned a total of 15 adult respiratory extra corporeal membrane oxygenation beds from five providers in England, with further provision in Scotland. In periods of high demand, capacity can be increased.

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