Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of NHS preparedness in County Durham for winter 2023-24; and how much additional funding her Department plans to provide to NHS services in County Durham for winter 2023-24.

No specific assessment has been made centrally by the Department, as local winter resilience plans and resourcing are an operational matter for the National Health Service.

NHS winter planning started earlier this year than in previous years. The urgent and emergency care recovery plan was published in January which included £1 billion of dedicated funding to support capacity. In July 2023, NHS England wrote to integrated care boards, trusts and primary care networks to set out a national approach to 2023/24 winter planning and the key steps to be taken across all parts of the system to meet the challenges expected from winter pressures.