Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect on the provision of accident and emergency care in Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust hospitals of the reduction in services at Louth hospital.

The provision of accident and emergency care in Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust is a matter for local determination. The Trust is also experiencing increases generally due to an upward trend in both accident and emergency (A&E) attendances and admissions from the East Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group area.

The Trust has planned for more growth in attendances and admissions in 2019/20 and is working with partners across Lincolnshire to manage increases in attendances/admissions by:

- Developing an Urgent Treatment Centre at the Diana Princess of Wales Hospital to handle non-emergency cases;

- Increasing the hours worked by consultants at the A&E at the Diana Princess of Wales Hospital;

- Working with East Midlands Ambulance Service to make sure they take patients to the most appropriate hospital within their region;

- Continuing to work closely to ensure the timely discharge of patients by having social services staff from local councils, including Lincolnshire County Council, working at the Diana Princess of Wales Hospital to facilitate this; and

- Working with clinical commissioning groups and other partners on activities to reduce attendances through better access to general practitioners and improve out of hospital provision.