Recommendation MAI-77: Review procedures for patient dispatch to hospitals
From Manchester Arena Inquiry: Volume 2: Emergency Response, published 3 November 2022.
Recommendation
North West Ambulance Service should review its procedures with local NHS trusts to ensure that it has effective policies in place for quickly dispatching patients injured in a Major Incident to an appropriate hospital.
In brief (written by this site)
The Inquiry asked North West Ambulance Service to review its major incident hospital dispatch procedures. In an update published in February 2026, the Cabinet Office relayed that the trust, in partnership with National Health Service (NHS) England North West, reviewed and updated the Mass Casualty Distribution Plan to produce version 1.4, which went live in July 2023 and is owned by the regional body, though reviewing procedures with local hospital trusts was not mentioned (Cabinet Office, Feb 2026). Earlier, the United Kingdom Government 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. The record below is the sources' own words.
Government response
Accepted in full
Delivery
Cabinet Office says in progress (27 February 2026)
North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) in partnership with NHS England North West have reviewed the Mass Casualty Distribution Plan and updated as required to produce version 1.4.This went live 14 July 2023. NHS England North West are the owners of the North West Mass Casualty Distribution Plan.
Earlier statement on delivery (1)
Cabinet Office (14 November 2025)
North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) in partnership with NHS England North West have reviewed the Mass Casualty Distribution Plan and updated as required to produce version 1.4.This went live 14 July 2023. NHS England North West are the owners of the North West Mass Casualty Distribution Plan.
From: Manchester Arena Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard, original version (data file)
Published evidence
Published findings referenced by inspectorates, select committees, official progress reports, and other sources. Source type badge indicates whether the finding is independent or government self-reported. Each finding is this site's summary of what the source found, with a link to the source; this site does not add its own progress rating.
Summary by this site of the published finding
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.
Source
Responsible bodies
Themes and tags
Who has spoken
- UK Government
Response - Cabinet Office
Delivery statement