Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has considered using capacity in the private healthcare sector to help reduce pressure on the NHS while maintaining clinical support for defence personnel.

NHS England works closely with the Defence Medical Services to support operational medicine, and this includes considering clinical research and innovation and how this can be implemented to support the Armed Forces. A partnership agreement is in place between NHS England and the Ministry of Defence that sets out how the Ministry of Defence and NHS England will work together in the planning and organising of the delivery of healthcare and supporting policies.

No formal assessment has been made as to the potential merits of increased collaboration with the Defence Medical Services in the fields of medical research and development, specialist training, and in the development of deployable medical capability. The National Health Service and Defence Medical Services work closely together, with many medical personnel working within the NHS, including staff in specialist medical training.

NHS England commissions elective secondary healthcare services for the Armed Forces in England. This includes the routine use of the independent sector as part of the NHS approach to elective care reform.