Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, in relation to the High Court decision in Consultant Connect Limited v NHS Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board, NHS Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board, NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board [2022] EWHC 2037 (TCC), whether those integrated care boards conducted a “lessons learnt” review relating to matters raised in that case.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) in England should have procurement policies in place that provide assurances to their respective Boards that procurement processes are conducted in a fair and open process which is compliant with relevant legislation such as:

- National Health Service (Procurement, Patient Choice and Competition) (No 2) Regulations 2013;

- Public Contracts Regulations 2015;

- Health and Social Care Act 2012;

- Equality Act 2010; and

- Managing Public Money 2023.

All three ICBs have undertaken “lessons learnt” reviews following the judgement of the Court.

NHS Gloucestershire ICB’s Lessons Learnt report was approved by its Audit Committee on 8 September 2022. All recommendations from this report have been implemented by the ICB’s Board. The report has not been published externally but is used by NHS Gloucestershire ICB to train and educate its staff.