Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their contingency plan for the delivery of health and social care services in the instance of a flu epidemic.

Winter can often bring additional challenges, but this year planning started early and the National Health Service and social care services are more prepared for winter than ever before. The NHS is committed to ensuring all patients continue to receive high quality, safe and efficient care as demand over winter increases. This Government has invested an extra £6 billion into the NHS over the last two years, plus £100 million ahead of winter to ease pressures on accident and emergency departments, ensure system resilience, and manage demand.

An additional £2 billion of funding has been allocated to local authorities over the next three years, including £1 billion for 2017/18 to implement best practice in discharging patients safely and quickly to reduce delayed transfers of care.

Influenza vaccination remains the best protection against flu and should be offered to everyone over the age of 65 years, those who are at particular risk to flu, and pregnant women, at the earliest opportunity. Influenza vaccination should also be offered to all frontline healthcare workers. NHS England has recently announced funding to provide the flu vaccination to care home staff.

This year, all children between two and eight years will be offered the nasal spray vaccine to help protect them and their families against influenza.