Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether staff seconded from NHS England to a transitional operations team in his Departent will focus solely on the transfer of responsibilities from NHS England to the Department for Health and Social Care; and what steps he is taking to ensure that the work ordinarily undertaken by the staff who have been seconded will be completed.

Ministers and senior Department officials will work with the new transformation team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to determine the structure and requirements of the team required to support the creation of a new centre for health and care. The transition team will work across NHS England and the Department, bringing together the expertise and experience of both organisations.

As we work to return many of NHS England’s current functions to the Department, we will continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds and take precautions to avoid disruption, including when staff have been moved to work on the transition.