§ Mr. BlunkettTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines have been issued by her Department regarding the need for hospital accident and emergency departments to make staffing provision for possible increased workload caused by occasional, exceptionally high levels of emergency treatment required.
§ Mr. SackvilleEvery health authority is required to have contingency plans for dealing with major incidents. However, it is for individual hospitals to determine local staffing levels in accident and emergency departments which, so far as possible, match expected workloads and take account of busy periods.