Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his Department's (a) direct and (b) indirect involvement in (i) the procurement of dermatology services from Nottingham University Hospitals Trust to Circle in 2007 and (ii) the reprocurement of those services in 2012; and whether that involvement was in an advisory capacity.

The original contract for the Nottingham Treatment Centre was signed in July 2005 between the Secretary of State for Health, the local primary care trusts (PCTs) and Circle after approval of a business case for the scheme by the Department. The services provided by the Treatment Centre include dermatology. The Treatment Centre became operational in July 2008 after construction completion.

The Department was not involved directly or indirectly in the reprocurement of the services. On 1 April 2013 the Department’s responsibility under the contract passed to NHS England. The reprocurement was managed locally by the clinical commissioning group and the local area team of NHS England; the contract was awarded to Circle after a competitive procurement process.