Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions her Department has had with Elysium Healthcare on continuing its contract following the inquest into the death of Liam McGenity.

The Department has had no such discussions with Elysium Healthcare, individual National Health Service commissioning organisations hold contracts with NHS and non-NHS providers for specified services, as part of their commissioning function. NHS England has advised that NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board (ICB) contracts with Elysium Healthcare under spot purchase agreements, which means that a contract is only ongoing for the duration of an individual patient’s placement.

The ICB continues to work with St Mary's Hospital in Warrington, part of the Elysium Healthcare Group. Quality visits have taken place at the St Mary’s Hospital estate, alongside visits by the NHS England Specialised Commissioning team, and Care Quality Commission (CQC) visits. All contracts with non-NHS providers are subject to NHS contract quality reviews, in addition to the regulatory regime of the CQC.