Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether Docklands Medical Services Ltd were registered with the Care Quality Commission for the provision of patient transport services during July, August and September 2016; and if he will make a statement.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England. The CQC makes decisions on whether to register providers based on the requirements of the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

The CQC provides assurance that all registered providers are meeting the relevant standards and then through a system of monitoring and ongoing inspection to make sure that standards are being maintained.

The CQC has advised us that for the period July, August and September 2016 Coperforma held the contract with High Weald Lewes Haven Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to provide Patient Transport Services to the population of Brighton and elsewhere. The CQC has confirmed that Coperforma were registered to provide patient transport services during the period in question.

The CQC has confirmed that Docklands Medical Services Ltd was not registered to provide patient transport services during the period in question. When it is brought to the attention of the CQC that a provider may have been delivering a regulated activity without registration, they investigate. If the CQC finds evidence to show that regulated activity is or has been delivered whilst unregistered then the CQC may prosecute. It is an offence under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 to carry out a regulated activity - in this case patient transport services - without being registered with the CQC. The CQC is investigating whether an offence has been committed.

The Department understands that when the High Weald Lewes Havens CCG identified that the CQC registration in question related to Docklands Medical Services (London) rather than Docklands Medical Services Ltd, they contacted Coperforma asking them to confirm the relevant CQC registration status.

I have also asked NHS England to investigate this provision of transport services during July, August and September 2016.