Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what evidence his Department holds on the effect on the quality of care of fines levied as a result of hospitals breaching targets; and whether he is taking steps to ensure that such fines do not detract from the provision of care to potentially affected populations.

All providers of National Health Service-funded healthcare services are expected to meet a range of national standards, other operational standards and quality requirements. These are set out in the NHS Standard Contract along with the consequences of breaches of these. In many cases, the consequence would be a financial sanction.

Since April 2016, most NHS providers agreeing to meet financial control targets as part of the sustainability funding programme are exempt from such sanctions. However, any revenue withheld is reinvested in the local healthcare system.