Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of emergency service capacity in tourist areas during summer months.

NHS England is responsible for funding allocations to integrated care boards (ICBs). ICBs then decide how that money is spent within the local integrated care system, and are responsible for planning service provision in their local area. In doing so, ICBs, including the NHS Dorset ICB, which is responsible for services in West Dorset, should consider how best to use their funding to meet patient demand, including expected seasonal variation. ICB allocations for 2025/26 were published on 30 January 2025, and are available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/allocation-of-resources-2025-26/

The National Health Service’s operational pressures escalation levels (OPEL) framework provides a standardised approach to support an effective, integrated, and coordinated response to acute trust operational pressures. This includes actions locally, regionally, and nationally that support the depressurising of services and ensure patient safety. Further information about the OPEL framework is published by NHS England at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/integrated-opel-framework-2024-to-2026/