Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider that NHS England carried out appropriate due diligence in giving preferred contractor status to the company Optum.

On 5 February 2015 NHS England announced the results of the Commissioning Support Lead Provider Framework. This framework agreement does not give Optum preferred provider status, but allows clinical commissioning groups and NHS England to run open competitions between accredited providers to source excellent and affordable commissioning support services.

NHS England has assured the Department that it carried out appropriate due diligence in regard to Optum Health Solutions UK being appointed as a provider on the Commissioning Support Lead Provider Framework.

As well as rigorously testing quality and value for money, NHS England ran a 12 month European Union compliant procurement process and carried out the necessary legal and financial checks, before appointing Optum Health Solutions UK as one of the providers on the Commissioning Support Lead Provider Framework.