NHS: Drugs
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what stockpiles of medicines on the Critical Medicines List are currently held by her Department.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
The Department maintains targeted stockpiles of medicines for emergencies that require a major public health response. The Department does not routinely publish information on the specific medicines held and keeps its stockpiles under regular review based on the latest clinical, risk assessment, and supply chain intelligence.
Stockpiling is one of a number of measures used to strengthen the resilience of medicine supply chains, along with diversification, support for domestics manufacturing, and international collaboration. The Department has established shortage management procedures to help mitigate the patient impact of supply disruption, including sourcing alternative products, serious shortage protocols, and a global logistics contingency. Further, NHS England's procurement arrangements include requirements for suppliers of certain secondary care medicines to hold buffer stocks to help manage disruption.
Given the global nature of medicine supply chains, the Government continues to work with international partners, including the European Union, and across the supply chain to strengthen resilience, reduce vulnerabilities, and support reliable access to medicines for patients.
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