Ensure immediate HART resource deployment
Manchester Arena Inquiry · Manchester Arena Inquiry: Volume 2: Emergency Response · Issued 3 November 2022 · Addressed to: National Ambulance Resilience Unit, Department of Health and Social Care
Government responseUK Government: Accepted (Nov 2025)
DeliveryCabinet Office says in progress (Feb 2026)
Recommendation, verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation
The Department of Health and Social Care and the National Ambulance Resilience Unit should develop procedures to ensure that, so far as possible, each ambulance service trust is able to deploy or call upon HART resources immediately in the event of a Major Incident. As part of that, the Department of Health and Social Care and the National Ambulance Resilience Unit should develop procedures to ensure that, so far as possible, each ambulance service trust can call upon cross-border support in respect of HART resources immediately in the event of a Major Incident. There may be some incidents that are so significant that an individual ambulance service will need to mobilise its own HART resources and also draw upon cross-border support. Procedures need to accommodate this.
Manchester Arena Inquiry, Manchester Arena Inquiry: Volume 2: Emergency Response · 3 Nov 2022 Source PDF →
Published evidence summary
AI-generated evidence summary
The Inquiry recommended procedures ensuring immediate deployment of Hazardous Area Response Teams (HART). The Cabinet Office reported in February 2026 that ambulance services are required under emergency preparedness standards to mobilise four HART personnel within 15 minutes and six within 10 minutes of confirmed need (Cabinet Office, Feb 2026). It noted that organisations must maintain a 30-minute notice to move across the country following an endorsed mutual aid request (Cabinet Office, Feb 2026). It stated that procedures are developed and implemented and are monitored through assurance processes, enabling resources to deploy as recommended (Cabinet Office, Feb 2026). The United Kingdom Government had accepted the recommendation in full in November 2025 (Cabinet Office response, Nov 2025).
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 5 Oct 2026.
Government response
●UK Government · Accepted · 14 Nov 2025
Accepted in full
Response document: Manchester Arena Inquiry recommendations (GOV.UK page linking to the Manchester Arena Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard)
Delivery
●Cabinet Office says in progress · 27 Feb 2026
As part of the NHS Core Standards for emergency preparedness resilience and response (EPRR) each ambulance service is required to have the following in place in relation to Hazardous Area Response Teams (HART) deployment: * Four HART personnel must be available or released and mobilised to respond locally to any incident identified as potentially requiring HART capabilities within 15 minutes of the call being accepted by the provider. * Once a HART capability is confirmed as being required at the scene (with a corresponding safe system of work) organisations must ensure that six HART personnel are released and available to respond to scene within 10 minutes of that confirmation. The six includes the four already mobilised. * Organisations must ensure that their 'on duty' HART personnel and specialist vehicles and equipment to maintain a 30-minute notice to move to anywhere in the United Kingdom following a mutual aid request endorsed by NHS England or National Ambulance Response Unit. Procedures are developed and implemented and are monitored as part of the NHS Core Standards self-assessment assurance process. Hazardous Area Response Teams (HART) resources can be deployed and respond as per the recommendation.
Earlier statements on delivery (0)
●Cabinet Office · 14 Nov 2025
As part of the NHS Core Standards for emergency preparedness resilience and response (EPRR) each ambulance service is required to have the following in place in relation to Hazardous Area Response Teams (HART) deployment: * Four HART personnel must be available or released and mobilised to respond locally to any incident identified as potentially requiring HART capabilities within 15 minutes of the call being accepted by the provider. * Once a HART capability is confirmed as being required at the scene (with a corresponding safe system of work) organisations must ensure that six HART personnel are released and available to respond to scene within 10 minutes of that confirmation. The six includes the four already mobilised. * Organisations must ensure that their 'on duty' HART personnel and specialist vehicles and equipment to maintain a 30-minute notice to move to anywhere in the United Kingdom following a mutual aid request endorsed by NHS England or National Ambulance Response Unit. Procedures are developed and implemented and are monitored as part of the NHS Core Standards self-assessment assurance process. Hazardous Area Response Teams (HART) resources can be deployed and respond as per the recommendation.
From: Manchester Arena Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard, original version (data file)
Published evidence
●JESIP · 1 Apr 2024
JESIP Joint Doctrine updated to v3.1 (April 2024) following inquiry findings on interoperability failures. Operation Plato reformed to cover all terrorist attack types, not just firearms. Emphasis extended beyond command-level to frontline responders.
JESIP Joint Doctrine Version 3.1, April 2024View source →
How this page is built
The recommendation and the government responses are verbatim from primary documents. Delivery statements and other bodies' findings are shown in their own words, each with its source. The summary is written by this site and labelled as such. The Index does not paraphrase sources or characterise intent; it records what has been published.