Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to stop hospitals sending results letters with advertisements for private healthcare included.

The Department has issued guidance to National Health Service trusts on the promotion of private healthcare to NHS patients, including sending results letters with advertisements for private healthcare included. NHS Identity guidance states that “when NHS Trusts offer private healthcare services, they should market and promote their private healthcare services completely separately. They should not market or promote these services within their NHS communications to patients and the public.”