Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2014 to the Urgent Question on Five Year Forward View, Official Report, column 1044, if he will ensure that the University Hospital of Hartlepool is included in the work to create new organisational models for smaller acute hospitals.

The work announced in the Five Year Forward View relating to work to create new organisational models for smaller acute hospitals is now being developed by NHS England, Monitor, the Trust Development Authority, the Care Quality Commission, Public Health England and Health Education England. Sector involvement will be essential to this future work and more details about how they will be taking this work forward, and who they will be engaging, will be announced by them in due course.