Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to provide NHS staff with free food after they finish their shifts.

The Department has asked NHS England and NHS Improvement to develop a comprehensive package of emotional, psychological and physical support for National Health Service staff during the COVID-19 outbreak. As part of this they have been working with a number of commercial partners, including major supermarkets and food chains, to ensure staff have access to food.

NHS organisations are ultimately best placed to decide how best to support their staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the provision of free meals, and we are aware of several local initiatives to do so.