Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 130 of the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, what progress he has made with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure that the NHS is prepared for mass military casualties in the event of a major war.

There is a strong foundation of cross-government working between the Department of Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Defence (MOD).

A series of joint Emergency Preparedness Resilience and Response exercises have taken place, and planning continues so that the National Health Service and the MOD can respond to a wide range of incidents and emergencies which could affect health or patient care. As part of this planning, the MOD and DHSC are exploring the United Kingdom’s ability to manage various combat scenarios and the treatment of casualties.

MOD is also participating in DHSC’s cross-government Exercise PEGASUS, the national Tier 1 pandemic preparedness exercise set to assess the UK’s ability to respond to a pandemic. Both activities focus on understanding system-wide capacity and capability, potential future need and shared plans for delivery.