Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS England plans to use the Nightingale units to help hospitals restore (a) elective surgery and (b) other services that have been impeded by the covid-19 outbreak.

The Nightingale hospitals were built primarily for ventilated COVID-19 patients or COVID-19 step down patients and currently do not have operating theatres or other standard facilities required for elective surgery. Regions and host trusts are now considering future use and the Nightingales will be an important part of ensuring the National Health Service has enough beds to cope over the next period.