Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent correspondence he has received from David Hare, Chief Executive of the Independent Healthcare Providers Network.

The Department has received several pieces of ministerial correspondence from the Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN) since the Government came into office. These have related to how the independent sector can support the Government’s commitment to return to the 18-week NHS Constitutional standard, improving patient safety, and invitations to attend the IHPN’s annual conference.

The Department receives and welcomes ministerial correspondence from a range of key partners including think tanks, academics, patient groups, and other relevant bodies who can work with us to deliver on our commitments. The independent sector providers that the IHPN represents have a role to play in our key commitment of tackling waiting lists, using any additional capacity to tackle the backlog whilst still providing care that is free at the point of use and delivers value for money.