Hospitals: Standards
Health
Tom Brake (Shadow Minister, Department for Communities and Local Government; Carshalton and Wallington, Liberal Democrat)
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospitals are carrying out consultations on (a) bed closures and (b) service reductions.
Ann Keen (Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Health Services), Department of Health; Brentford and Isleworth, Labour)
Any proposals for the reconfiguration of services are a matter for the national health service locally.
There is a well established and well understood process for managing formal public consultations on proposals for major service change so that the public and other stakeholders can help to inform the local debate.