Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which the consultation exercise being undertaken by the Epsom and St Helier Trust about the future of local acute hospital provision is consistent with the Cabinet Office’s consultation principles.

The future of local acute hospital provision is a matter for NHS England and the National Health Service locally.

Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust advises that it is not currently carrying out a public consultation. However, the Trust is currently engaging with the public on its proposals to move to a single acute specialist facility and to keep most care local. The purpose of this engagement is not focused on specific sites but on the principle of moving to a single acute specialist facility.