Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of mandating the use of carbon monoxide alarms in all health settings.

There are no plans to make an assessment. Guidance on ventilation and air filtration systems in National Health Service facilities is provided in Health Technical Memorandum (HTM) 03-01: Specialised Ventilation for Healthcare Premises. As with all guidance provided on the NHS estate, it is reviewed on an ongoing basis and will be updated to reflect changes in approach to relevant areas. The memorandum is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/HTM0301-PartA-accessible-F6.pdf

There is a range of national resources available to promote carbon monoxide safety. This includes guidance on GOV.UK, the NHS website and from the Health and Safety Executive. The UK Health Safety Agency also has a programme of work, much of it delivered in partnership with other organisations, to increase awareness of carbon monoxide exposure risks and help to prevent them.