Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether (a) clinicians and (b) patient groups were consulted on the changes to NHS England's National Clinical Director structure after April 2016.

No patient groups were consulted on the changes, which are being made to ensure that this important resource is focused on clinical areas where we are taking forward major programmes of work, or areas that have otherwise been identified as priorities for service improvement. The changes have been discussed with the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, some individual Colleges and NHS England’s senior medical leaders.