Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential risks of withdrawing (a) masks and (b) other protective measures in medical settings for immunosuppressed people.

In April 2022, NHS England published the National infection prevention and control manual (NIPCM), which ensures a consistent approach to infection prevention and control guidance across the National Health Service. The NIPCM is mandatory across NHS England or settings where NHS England services are delivered and is complimented by pathogen- or disease-specific guidance produced by the UK Health Security Agency. Guidance allows for nuanced local risk assessment, with any additional infection prevention and control measures beyond those outlined in the NIPCM applied at local discretion.

The NIPCM does not require patients or visitors to National Health Service settings to routinely wear a face mask. However, there are some circumstances where it is recommended that patients and visitors to care settings wear masks. For example, universal masking should be considered in settings where patients are at high risk of infection due to immunosuppression such as, oncology or haematology. This should be guided by local risk assessment.