Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps will be taken to avoid disruption to frontline services (a) during and (b) after the abolition of NHS England.

Our commitment to the delivery of frontline services for patients underpins the transformation. We will simplify the National Health Service and remove layers of unnecessary bureaucracy, which will allow us to reinvest more into the frontline, so patients receive safe, timely care and are heard and listened to.

It is only right that with such significant reform, we commit to carefully assessing and understanding the potential impacts, and we will do this throughout. Ongoing assessment is part of the reform programme and evidence collected will inform the programme as appropriate and ensure our decisions focus on improving patient care. The Government is committed to transparency and will consider how best to ensure the public and parliamentarians are informed of the outcome.