Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what future plans he has for community hospitals in the NHS; and if he will make a statement.

The majority of NHS services, including services provided in community hospitals, are commissioned by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). Future plans for community hospitals therefore need to be developed locally rather than determined at a national level.

NHS England expects CCGs' commissioning decisions to be underpinned by clinical insight and knowledge of local healthcare needs and to have regard to the need to address health inequalities.