A committee of MPs has written to Wes Streeting asking what measures the Department of Health and Social Care is putting in place to deal with "exceptionally high" demand on hospitals amid a wave of illness.
Health and Social Care Committee chair Layla Moran wrote to the health secretary on 10 January seeking answers on the department’s response to the NHS being under an “extremely high level of pressure this winter”. She cited a high number of flu, covid, norovirus and respiratory syncytial virus cases, with the number of flu patients in England's hospitals quadrupling in the last month. She said more than 14 NHS trusts had declared critical incidents due to "exceptionally high" demand on A&E and patients being admitted to wards.
Last week, NHS England published figures showing 2024 had been the busiest year on record for A&E and ambulance services, with December recording the highest number of ambulance incidents ever in one month.
“Given these pressures, the committee would appreciate an urgent update from the government on the steps that it is taking to support the NHS and the broader health and social care system with the exceptionally high levels of demand that they are facing,” Moran said.
In particular, she said the committee wanted to know what “specific immediate additional support” – including financial support – DHSC is giving to trusts that have declared a critical incident.
She also asked what support the department will give trusts after critical incidents end to mitigate the impact on elective procedures, given that trusts can divert staff and funding from other services to acute provision in the event of such an incident.
And she asked what progress had been made on implementing a set of actions NHS England outlined in September to prepare for this year’s winter pressures.
The plans included updating the NHS’s 24-hour live data centres to manage demand; supporting vaccination efforts by sharing information and comms materials on flu, Covid-19 and RSV, and maintaining the National Booking Service; providing capabilities such as situational reporting to respond to pressures in live time seven days a week; and completing a “Getting It Right First Time” data-led review of support needs of all acute sites.
The committee has asked Streeting to respond to its questions by 27 January, to give it time to consider his responses ahead of a planned evidence session with NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard.