Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of improving the process for hospitals who wish to become recognised as specialist NHS Trust hospitals.

Specialist hospitals are widely recognised for their excellence within individual specialties, including rare and complex cases. However, there is no formal specialist trust designation, and many National Health Service trusts provide both specialist and non-specialist services.

NHS England is responsible for the commissioning of prescribed specialised services. The specialised services directly commissioned by NHS England are listed in Schedule 4 to the National Health Service Commissioning Board and Clinical Commissioning Groups (Responsibilities and Standing Rules) Regulations 2012.