Recommendation 1

HM Government Not Addressed

Introduction from the Committee Ventilators are medical devices that assist or replace a patient’s breathing. Patients with COVID-19 who are admitted to hospital often have problems breathing. On arrival in hospital a patient’s blood oxygen level is measured. If it is low, then the patient may be given standard oxygen therapy using a mask; non-invasive ventilation where oxygen is delivered under pressure via a mask or helmet; or invasive mechanical treatment using a mechanical ventilator, which takes over a patient’s breathing. The specific treatment used is a judgement for clinicians and patients may undergo more than one treatment during a stay in hospital. In the early stages of the pandemic, based on information available at the time, the NHS believed it could need far more mechanical ventilators than were available. From March 2020, the government made efforts to rapidly increase the number of ventilators available to hospitals in the UK. Its strategy included: purchasing ventilators from suppliers on the global market, led by the Department of Health & Social Care (the Department); and encouraging UK manufacturers to design and scale-up production of ventilators as part of the ‘ventilator challenge’, led by the Cabinet Office. Based on a report by the National Audit Office, the Committee took evidence, on Monday 12 October 2020 from the Department of Health and Social Care. The Committee published its report on 25 November 2020. This is the Government response to the Committee’s report. Relevant reports ● NAO report: COVID-19 Supply of Ventilators – Session 2019-21 (HC 731) ● PAC report: COVID-19 Supply of Ventilators – Session 2019-21 (HC 685)