Resilience to shocks is a key element of financial sustainability. We asked how well the NHS would cope financially in the event of another pandemic. NHSE expressed confidence that in the event of another pandemic government would provide any additional funding the NHS needed, as it had done during the previous pandemic. NHSE acknowledged that this had only been possible in 2020 through the suspension of some normal financial rules. It said that, with similar financial arrangements in place, it would not be worried about money in the event of another pandemic and would be more concerned about the resilience and capacity of the NHS workforce to respond to the challenge.18