A cross-party group of MPs and peers is seeking views on how the NHS estate and infrastructure can best meet patient needs.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Healthcare Infrastructure on 3 May launched a call for evidence to help inform its first report on ‘Meeting the Short, Medium and Long-Term Needs for NHS Infrastructure’. The report is intended to coincide with the anticipated publication of the Department of Health and Social Care’s (DHSC) Capital Strategy, which will set out the long-term vision for all aspects of the Department’s infrastructure spending over the next decade.
As part of this, the APPG will hold two meetings where it will hear oral testimonial from key figures involved in NHS estates and health infrastructure, including former Secretaries of State for Health. The APPG’s inquiry will examine the following areas of health infrastructure:
- NHS estates and facilities.
- Equipment used by the NHS.
- Physical elements required to enable digital care.
The APPG said: “Our recommendations to the Government and NHS leaders will be published in our report in the summer, which will be launched in Parliament by the Minister for Health, Edward Argar MP. Commenting on the launch of the call for evidence, Chris Green MP, Chair of the APPG for Healthcare Infrastructure (pictured) said: “In recent years, attention has been focused at a national level on the government’s headline hospital building programme. While investment in acute infrastructure is imperative, we have been waiting for a year for the refresh of the Health Infrastructure Plan. The APPG is launching our call for evidence on meeting short, medium, and long-term NHS infrastructure needs shortly to help inform the Department’s long-term plans for capital investment, and to ensure that we are meeting the needs of patients in the post-pandemic world.
“DHSC’s capital strategy will be the bedrock for the return to normality as we move on from COVOD. We want to hear from patients, stakeholders, clinicians, and all interested parties on how we build health infrastructure fit for the future.’
The deadline for submissions for the report is 5pm on 17 June 2022. The evidence gathered will be used to inform the recommendations the APPG makes to Government.
The APPG’s two oral evidence sessions with key stakeholders will be held on 16 May from 3.45-5.00 pm in Committee Room 17 at the House of Commons, and on 14 June from 2.-3.00 pm on Zoom (provisional).
For further details about submissions, see the full call for evidence on the APPG’s website at https://connectpa.co.uk/appg-healthcare-infrastructure/