Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the impact that failures in the continuity of the supply of medical products would have on the NHS; what (a) drugs or (b) equipment his Department considers to be at particular risk of supply chain uncertainty; and what steps he is taking to mitigate that impac.t

No formal assessment has been made. However, the Department engages regularly with the supply chain, including with trade associations, suppliers and manufacturers of medicines and medical products, and logistics providers. The Department has well-established processes to prevent, manage and mitigate shortages of medicines and medical products. This includes the National Supply Disruption Response (NSDR), designed to mitigate disruption to the supply of medicines and medical products. The NSDR was established in March 2020, supporting providers and suppliers with supply disruptions 24 hours a day, seven days a week and offering express freight support.