Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what her policy is on preventing downgrades in the service offered by acute hospital Emergency Departments in areas of high housing growth.

We recognise the challenges that significant housing and population growth can place on health infrastructure. The National Health Service has a statutory duty to ensure that there are sufficient medical services, including accident and emergency care, in each local area.

Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning, including planning, securing and monitoring, services within their health systems through delegated responsibility from NHS England. Integrated care boards should evaluate the needs of the populations for which they are responsible and plan service provision accordingly.

The Department of Health and Social Care continues to work closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to determine how the developer contributions system can be strengthened and improved to support the planning and delivery of the required social infrastructure in areas of population growth.