Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to participate in a joint sprint review with the Ministry of Defence to assess the national health ecosystem’s capacity to meet the demands of major military operations.

Ensuring that the national health system is resilient and prepared to meet the demands of major military operations is of vital importance to deterrence and defence.

The Department of Health and Social Care will work closely with the Ministry of Defence to consider the recommendations of the Strategic Defence Review 2025 to ensure the national health system is resilient and prepared to meet the demands of any potential future conflict and to mitigate the wider impacts on staffing, care capacity, and service delivery.